The Broken Seal
by Hawki
Summary: GS1 Novelization: The seal has been broken. The world is threatned by alchemy. Heroes rise, ancient powers stir and the world begins to change. The story of Weyard begins here... Discontinued
1. Prologue: Storm of Tradgedy

**Golden Sun: The Broken Seal**

**Prologue: Storm of Tragedy**

"Isaac, wake up!" Please dear, wake up!"

There was no response. What else did one expect from a fourteen year old boy at the dead of night?

"The Mt Aleph boulder is going to fall!" The boy stirred a little.

"I think I'll be safe in here," he murmured groggily, turning over in his bed. "Five more minutes at least."

"Isaac, we don't have time for this!" the voice snapped, making it clear that compromise was not an option in the current circumstances. "We have to leave now!"

The force of the voice shook the boy to alertness, the darkness of sleep giving way to blurry vision. Yawning and bleary eyed, he rose from his bed, his body seemingly conspiring against the sense of urgency that his mind was beginning to feel. As his vision sharpened, he could see that his mother, the one who had been trying to wake him, had a visage of extreme worry.

"What's happening?" Isaac yawned, his mother's comments, while having stirred a small sense of his urgency in his attempted movements, having yet to be fully processed in his mind.

"There's a terrible storm outside that's loosened the Mt Aleph Boulder! It could crash into the village at any second. Thunder rolled and wind howled by way of evidence of the statement. "Don't sit there gawking Isaac. Get dressed! Quickly!"

Isaac didn't need any more encouragement and quickly set about exchanging nightwear for proper clothing. The thought of a boulder that size crashing through the village…well, that was something you didn't want to think about if you wanted to keep in the right state of mind. The prospect ensured that Isaac finished dressing in less than a minute-a new record.

"Ok, I think we're done," said Isaac's mother, seeing that her son had finished dressing. "Have you got everything you need?"

"Yeah, I've got the necessities," Isaac murmured.

"Good. Let's get going."

**XXXX**

Following his mother down the stairs of the two story house that he lived in, Isaac cast his mind back to the day's events, or perhaps yesterday, since the current time could have easily been after midnight. He'd stayed up late playing with his friends, the summer sun letting its light shine upon the world for as long as possible. Neither day nor evening had indicated that there was a storm upon approach, let alone one as powerful as the sound of the rain, thunder and lightning conveyed.

Isaac had experienced storms before of course, but despite living in the wake of an imposing mountain, there'd never been the threat of a landslide of any kind, let alone the loosening of the Mt Aleph Boulder; a giant rock that was perched on an outcrop near the mountain's summit, its size dwarfing any structure that the town of Vale featured. Isaac glanced out the window as he and his mother arrived at the foot of the stairs, seeing nothing but a dark void punctured by a barrage of water droplets and a flash of lightning. Isaac cringed slightly, thinking that perhaps staying in bed wasn't such a bad idea after all.

He had no chance to put such an idea forward however, for it was at this moment that the door to the house burst open, courtesy of Isaac's father, Kyle. His earth brown hair, which usually stood out in a tuff from his forehead, was plastered to his scalp due to the rain, his light brown tunic drenched.

"Isaac, Dora, what's keeping you!? The boulder could fall any second!" As if to emphasise his point there was a sudden crash of thunder, loud enough to make the entire house tremor.

"Don't worry, we're ready," replied Dora, taking her son by the hand and leading him outside. Isaac couldn't help but grimace; _"I'm fourteen, I __**can**__ look after myself."_

Such a thought evaporated upon exiting the house, or was rather carried away by the wind. It was obvious to Isaac immediately that his mother had made a drastic understatement when she said that there was a "storm" outside. This was more along the lines of a gale; howling, freezing wind, thick rain that prevented one from seeing anything with great clarity, the only illumination being provided by the frequent lightning strikes… "_Is a storm of this size even naturally possible?"_ Isaac wondered.

Dora was meanwhile conversing with her husband, twisting her lime green dress in an attempt to maintain a sense of calm but not entirely succeeding; "Kyle…will they be able to stop the boulder?" she asked nervously. Kyle peered northwards towards Mt. Aleph; a wasted effort, as the rain was so thick it prevented one seeing anything further than a few feet away.

"Hard to tell," he murmured eventually. "I can't make it out from here but I'll doubt that the elders will be able to hold it back…not for long anyway."

Dora adjusted the bun that her golden hair was tied in, trying to hide her fear. "Anyway," continued Kyle. "You two go and take refuge in the plaza, I'll catch up with you."

"What!? Aren't you coming!?" exclaimed Dora. Isaac subconsciously tightened his grip on his mother's hand, something that at his age he tended to avoid. Still, the idea of his father hanging around longer than necessary with a gale blowing and a giant boulder set to crash into the village...fear and concern began to flow through Isaac with as much speed as the wind that was howling around him.

Kyle shook his head; "No, I've got to help the other villagers. A few minor landslides have already occurred and not all may have been as lucky as us." He smiled faintly, trying to look reassuring; "You two just head to safety. I'll be with you before you know it." With that, he turned away from them, prepared to carry out the altruistic task that he'd set upon himself. Before he could actually begin the task however, he felt Dora's hand upon his shoulder;

"Dora?"

"Kyle, let me help you," said his wife, determined not to let her husband face the wild side of nature alone.

"Dora, I'll be fine. Just take care of Isaac."

"Isaac is old enough to get to the plaza on his own," said Dora firmly, looking at her son for confirmation.

"Mum's right, I'll be fine," said Isaac eventually. "You can trust me."

Kyle sighed; "Alright. Dora, stay close. Isaac, head down to the plaza and don't do anything foolish."

"Dad, I'll be fine," said Isaac stubbornly, trying his best not to shiver from the freezing rain and wind.

Kyle didn't look too certain, but understood that trust was something that he'd have to place in his son and that time was of the essence. Giving a nod, he turned around and sprinted north. Giving a faint smile to Isaac which was returned, Dora followed him.

Isaac waited until his parents were out of sight, which, given the darkness of the storm, didn't take long. Emotions warred within him. On the one hand, his parents were exposing themselves to danger, a fact that, due to the bonds inherent between a child and his or parents, did not sit well at all. On the other, he understood that there was precious little that he could do to aid them, and to attempt to do so would be betraying their trust.

It felt like an eternity passed before Isaac made his choice and began his flight south. Vale was divided into a number of flattened hills that steadily ascended towards Mt Aleph to the north, making any southward journey easy. Of course, that was under the assumption that the stairways linking the different sections remained open. Isaac quickly saw to his dismay that the southern stairway had been blocked by a landslide.

"_Perfect,"_ Isaac mused, a roll of thunder sounding like mocking laughter. He could see other villagers running in panic on the level below, either heading down towards the plaza, looking for loved ones, or both. Isaac knew that the chances of any of them helping him to move the landslide was remote and besides, such a thing might not have been physically possible. Not that he would have asked them to do such a thing right now.

Gritting his teeth, Isaac turned and sprinted north, ready to loop around and head south at the earliest opportunity.

**XXXX**

The rain, along with the villagers running around in panic prevented one from seeing Isaac with any great clarity. If one was able to do so however, they would have seen a boy wearing a blue tunic that took after his father in many ways; he was reasonably well built for one of his age, his hair sticking out in a tuff from his forehead. He also had a tendency to be rather quiet and thoughtful, though not to the extent of being antisocial. Yet in other ways he took after his mother; he'd inherited her golden hair (although nowhere near as tidy) and blue eyes, though his were the colour of the sky and far more clear-piercing even.

Given his speed at which he was moving, it wasn't long before Isaac started passing the house of Garet, one of his friends. To Isaac's relief, it looked like he and his family and already left for shelter, yet sight was not a sense that should be relied on entirely. Indeed, despite the roar of wind and rain, Isaac would hear someone grunting with exertion, the sound coming from the garden at the back of the house.

Raising an eyebrow, Isaac gave the satisfaction of his curiosity priority and ran to find the source of the sound. He quickly found it, seeing, to his amazement, that Garet was there, trying to drag a heavy chest along using a rope tied around it. Given that the rain had turned the soil into a quagmire and the weight of the damn thing, he wasn't having much luck.

"Garet, what the hell are you doing!?" exclaimed Isaac, running over to his friend. Rage was an emotion that rarely came to Isaac, but given the current circumstances, it was hardly surprising.

"Huh?" asked Garet, looking up to find the source of the question and quickly finding it; "Oh Isaac, it's you." Garet continued to attempt to drag the chest and fail to make any progress; "What does it look like I'm doing?"

"Signing your own death warrant," said Isaac firmly, noticing what Garet seemingly hadn't, that his brown tunic was drenched and his light red hair, which usually stuck upwards like a set of spikes (exactly how that was the case Isaac didn't know) was plastered to his forehead, just like that of everyone else who'd set foot in this storm.

Isaac grabbed Garet's arm; "Come on, you're family's probably waiting for you in the plaza."

Garet looked up, his dark brown eyes registering surprise; "What? They're not here?"

"Fraid not," said Isaac. "They probably assumed that you wouldn't risk your life for materialistic pursuits." The sound of lightning was heard as if to add to Isaac's condemnation.

"Aren't you the pragmatist," Garet murmured, his gaze straying from Isaac to his chest of possessions, then back again. "Still, you're right," he said eventually.

"As usual," said Isaac, noticing that the wind was picking up. "Come on, let's go."

**XXXX**

Despite the miserable and dire circumstances, Isaac couldn't help but smile faintly at the fact that, even in said circumstances, he and Garet played out their usual roles. Garet tended to be rather headstrong; thinking before acting and paying the price, unless Isaac was able to talk some sense into him before hand, something that he was luckily able to do quite often when the need arose.

The pair cautiously headed over the rope bridge suspended over the river that ran through Vale, its usually clear and calm waters now raging violently, with the banks having burst in many sections, mud churning along in its violent flow. Isaac glanced back at Garet and grinned, seeing that his friend's face was devoid of pigmentation. It was hardly surprising really; simply put, Garet hated water.

Arriving on the other side, the pathway split off into west and south. Unfortunately, only the first option was available to the boys, as the southern one had been blocked by a landslide. _"Is fate conspiring against us?" _Isaac wondered. With a storm that seemed to defy the laws of nature raging around them, it wasn't so far fetched an assumption in his mind.

True to his nature, Garet wasn't deterred, immediately setting about the task of trying to shift through the rubble. It didn't take him long to realise that it was a wasted effort. "It's no use," he eventually panted. We'll have to find another way. Any ideas?"

Isaac thought about it for a moment, the wind and rain not making the task easy; "Yeah," he said eventually. "We'll head west past Kraden's cottage, then head south, passing by Jenna and Felix's house."

Garet looked slightly uneasy at the proposed plan; Jenna and Felix lived right on the river's edge, and Garet wanted to keep his distance from any body of water, especially in a situation such as this. Still, it was the only route left…

"Alright, let's go," he said eventually. The pair started running down the western path, the wind howling in their ears.

**XXXX**

Standing outside his house by the raging river, fifteen year old Felix couldn't help but appreciate the irony of the situation. His insistence on staying up reading in his ordinary clothing had ensured that that he was the first member of his family ready to leave after news of the incoming boulder had reached them. Standing on the banks of the river, he was currently waiting for his younger sister Jenna and their parents to change into clothing that was suited to the torrential downpour.

Being literate from an early age, Felix had stayed up late many nights reading various books, starting off with simple subjects like ugly ducks and mischievous rabbits to his current spree, which was based around historical fiction and history itself. He was often berated for wasting candles, but his parents had never been truly angry to find him asleep on the desk, using an open book as a pillow. And although Jenna and their friends, Isaac and Garet, often made fun of him for it (Garet and Jenna in particular), there'd never been any harm in their comments.

Felix had always been a quiet individual and labelled, with good reason, as being deeply perceptive. Looking out at the storm, Felix felt that such a label was justified; how could such a storm have started so suddenly? His dark brown eyes scanned the turbulent sky, but no clues were provided as to why this was the case. His concentration was only broken when the door behind him opened, revealing Felix's thirteen year old sister, Jenna. Surprise was etched on her features;

"Felix? What are you doing out here?" she asked.

"Waiting for you drowsers," he grinned, taking pride in the fact that his love of reading had allowed him to be the first out of the house.

"But in the rain?"

"Hey, if I waited with mum and dad they'd waste time scolding me for staying up late. And if I waited with you, well…"

Jenna sniggered, knowing that she would probably give Felix the same treatment, if only for the sake of it.

Jenna was different from Felix in many ways; by way of physical appearance, Jenna's hair was a lighter brown, always tied up in a ponytail. Her eyes were of the same colour and far less dark than those of her brother. The lighter colours were perhaps a reflection of Jenna's loud, tomboyish personality that stood in stark contrast to her brother's usual quiet disposition.

Still, she could be nice when she wanted to be. Now was one of those times, but more out of concern than anything else, considering how close Felix was standing to the overflowing river.

"Felix, what are you doing!?" she exclaimed, having realised the danger that Felix's proximity represented. "The banks look set to burst!"

Felix looked down; indeed the river was close to overflowing, a section of the pier that extended from their house having already been washed away. Still, he felt little trepidation, the smugness he'd felt from being the first out of the house having led to arrogance. Plus, there was also the golden rule that brothers should rarely, if ever, take advice from their little sisters.

"Relax Jenna, it's not as if the bank is going to collapse at any second-…"

It was at this point that the bank decided to collapse into the river, taking Felix with it…

**XXXX**

Running down the path that led to the house of his friends Jenna and Felix, Garet couldn't remember having a worse night in his life, and that included ones where his five year old brother Aaron had woken him up due to some nightmare about monsters, or other similar factors.

Isaac had made the right decision concerning which route they should take, but hadn't accounted for the numerous people that had settled upon the same decision. They'd been knocked down numerous times by citizens running in blind panic and the ones they'd helped were in too much of a hurry to express any gratitude.

Despite not being the most insightful of individuals, Garet could tell that he and Isaac had fallen well behind the crowd that had been running down to the plaza, but were still making good progress overall. Despite the heavy rain, he could make out the house of Felix and Jenna. Hoping that they'd made it out safely, the two boys pressed on.

Due to the darkness and intensity of the rain, neither Garet nor Isaac could see that this wasn't the case. True, they could make out the general outline of their friends' house, but not any of the finer details, which as of this moment included the fact that, after having fallen into the river, Felix had managed to grab one of the poles that had supported the pier, specifically until half of it had been washed away.

Luckily, his plight hadn't gone unnoticed. Jenna and her parents; Garcia and Jasmine, along with Dora, were standing on the pier, shouting words of encouragement, half of which were lost to the howling wind. Kyle was there as well, getting ready to throw a rope to the teenager;

"Alright, get ready," yelled Kyle, curling the rope back. However, it was at this moment that Felix lost his grip, being swept away by the raging body of water.

"Nooooo! Felix!" cried out Jenna, burying her face in her mother's arms and sobbing furiously. Despite the usual conflicts that existed between siblings, Jenna and Felix being no exception, the young girl had no wish to see her elder brother removed from her life.

It was only when she heard sighs of relief and cheers of joy that she risked glancing back at the river. She experienced a rush of elation, seeing that Felix had managed to grab hold of a rock a few metres further downstream from the pole. Still ok, but in a more precarious position.

Far more.

Kyle gauged the length of the rope, compared it to how far Felix was away from the pier and threw it down on the wooden planks in frustration. "It's no use," he sighed. "The rope won't reach him from here and standing on the banks is too dangerous." He turned to Garcia; "We'll have to use psynergy."

"Sorry," said Garcia, the fear for his son showing in his eyes and quivering brown moustache. "I don't have any techniques that could help him. How about you Kyle?"

Kyle sighed; "I'm drained from helping the other villagers," he said despondently, his words making Jenna let out another unmuffled sob. The entire situation was a dark tunnel and it was becoming increasingly unlikely that there'd be light at the end of it.

An uneasy silence descended upon the group, the sound of the rain and wind seemingly fading away. "We have to get help," said Dora eventually, causing all present to look at her in surprise. "There's nothing else we can do for him." Uncomfortable silence once again descended upon the group.

"Alright," said Kyle eventually. "But be as quick as you can."

"Jenna, can you go too?" asked her father. Jenna nodded in response, trying to maintain her composure.

"We'll stay here in case it comes to the worse," said Kyle. Nodding, Dora headed back to the shore, Jenna following her.

"I'll check up north," said Dora to the teenager. "You head down to the plaza."

"Y…yes ma'am," whispered Jenna, seemingly having lost most of her ability to speak.

Dora put a hand on Jenna's shoulder; "Your brother's counting on you," she said simply. Her voice was firm but kind, and helped stem the flow of tears coming from the young girl. Nodding, Jenna dashed south, Dora heading in the opposite direction.

**XXXX**

It came as a great surprise to Isaac when he saw his mother running north, _towards _the boulder. "Mum, what's going on!?" he yelled. Dora stopped and saw him;

"Isaac!? Why aren't you down at the plaza!?"

"Landslides," replied Garet simply. He cast his eye to where the pier house was, the washed away section of pier and burst banks made his stomach lurch.

"Felix…Jenna…are they alright?" Garet whispered.

Dora looked pensive; "They're fine, except Felix has fallen into the river and we're all out of psynergy. Garcia, Kyle and Jasmine are there with him."

"What about Jenna?" Garet asked.

"She and I have gone to look for someone with psynergy."

Isaac turned pale, the thought of his friends in such dire straits making him feel weak. "Is…is there anything we can do?" he asked.

Dora considered the question, then nodded; "Sure. If you want to help, head down to the plaza. Jenna should be there." Dora went to head north, stopped, then turned back to face Isaac; "Be careful," she added in a softer tone." With that, she continued heading north, looking for someone to help Felix. Within a moment, a silent consensus having formed between the two boys, Isaac and Garet started sprinting in the opposite direction.

**XXXX**

Isaac was tempted to call out words of encouragement to Felix as he and Garet passed over the southern rope bridge that would take them to the plaza but decided against it, knowing that such an action could distract his friend to the extent that he could lose his precarious grip on the rock. Isaac had no desire to lose such a good friend and the thought of Jenna growing up without a brother… for some reason that elicted just as much fear inside him, though he wasn't quite sure why.

It was strange how he and Garet had both started developing feelings for Jenna that seemed to go beyond normal friendship, but both their parents had refused to talk about it "until they were older." Garet's elder sister, Kay, had said something about adolescence but refused to elaborate, seemingly finding the entire issue humorous. Regardless, they pushed on.

The plaza was in sight.

**XXXX**

Garet's grandfather, Heph, had been mayor of Vale for twenty-seven of his seventy years in the world, yet despite his age, had never considered it to be a distinct drawback when it came to carrying out his duties. Right now however, his view was beginning to change; standing near the entrance to Vale, upright on his walking stick, supporting a man with grey hair and a wrinkled face, he hardly considered himself to be an inspirational figure.

Vale had remained peaceful for three thousand years and thus wasn't a town where one would expect to find heroes. While beneficial overall, it was this lack of heroes that was coming back to haunt Heph, as, without said exceptional individuals, coping with the storm that had suddenly beset the village was going to prove difficult.

Still, Heph persevered, trying to look reassuring to the villagers who passed by him while heading for Vale's southern exit, wanting to out of harm's way from the boulder if…no, _when_ it fell. However, Heph's act was beginning to deteriorate, as his mind kept wandering to his grandson, Garet.

"_What the hell is that boy doing?" _wondered Heph as yet another family passed by him, not really taking much notice of the senior citizen that was their mayor. _"Where the hell is he!?"_

The threat of the boulder, and through it the issue of Garet's safety, was constantly looming on the mayor's mind. He'd sent two more Valeans to help the elders slow its advance, but further help didn't look promising. Thomas, a very muscular man with jet black hair, was charging his psynergy by the giant psynergy stone that was embedded into a small piece of land in the centre of a small pond, but a full recharge would take time, a luxury they didn't have.

So caught up in all these problems, it took Heph around ten seconds to become aware of someone tugging at his tunic. Looking down, he saw Jenna, one of his grandson's friends. Even with the pouring rain, Heph could make out a few tears running down the young girl's face. For Jenna, an individual that had always struck Heph as a bit of a tomboy, to show such emotion, something drastic must have happened.

"Jenna?" exclaimed Heph. "What are you doing here? Where's Felix and the rest of your family?"

"That's…that's what I'm here about," Jenna whispered.

**XXXX**

The plaza was full of people that were either trying to put as much distance between themselves and the Mt. Aleph boulder or those that were searching for friends or family. Isaac and Garet were of the latter case, namely searching for Jenna. Although both were aware from the outset that finding their friend in such a panicked throng was next to impossible, they-

"Garet, look!" shouted Isaac. There, in the shadow of the purple psynergy stone that stood like a sentinel over all present, were Jenna and Garet's grandfather. With a nod from Garet, the two boys ran over.

"Grandpa! Jenna!" Garet shouted as they neared. Both turned in surprise.

"Garet? Isaac?" Jenna asked, looking a bit more composed than she had been a few minutes ago. "You came to help me?"

"What, you expected otherwise?" asked Isaac, getting a smile in response. It was a welcome sight.

"Good boys," said Heph, trying not to adopt a patronising tone, given the situation. "Jenna could use a hand. We need someone with-…"

"Great, I'm all charged up!" boomed a voice. Four pairs of eyes turned to see Thomas jump their way from the psynergy stone.

"You've finished recharging your psynergy?" asked Heph.

Thomas nodded; "Enough to save Felix at least. Couldn't help overhearing." Isaac expected Jenna to make a point about eavesdropping but instead heard a sigh of relief.

"Very well," said Heph, turning to the two boys. "Isaac, Garet, you two lead the way, the pathways may have been blocked by landslides. I'll see to the remaining villagers." With that, Heph hobbled off, hoping to play hero.

"Isaac…Garet…thank you," said Jenna softly.

Blushing profusely, the two boys led the way.

**XXXX**

Despite their physical exhaustion, Isaac and Garet quickly led Thomas and Jenna back to the rope bridge suspended over the river near where Felix had fallen in. By this stage the rain had cleared a little, allowing the four to see that Felix was still holding on, both literally and figuratively. Kyle, Garcia and Jasmine were still on the pier, providing vocal support for Felix. Upon seeing Jenna and her companions, the shouting was redirected to her;

"Jenna, is that you?" her father called out.

"Yeah, it's me," Jenna responded. "I also found some help. Is Felix ok?"

"He's hanging in there," answered Kyle. "I-…"

"Jenna!?" interrupted a voice. Dora was seen running from the north. "I couldn't find anyone with psynergy. How'd you do?"

Thomas saw this as his cue and ran on ahead, adjacent to where Felix was. He was about to start using his psynergy when there was a sudden crash…a very loud crash…the type of crash that didn't come from thunder or lightning.

"_That seemed to come from Mt Aleph," _thought Isaac. Looking up towards the mountain, peering through the rain, he saw the elders scattering in panic, running from… _"oh no…"_

The Mt Aleph boulder was falling. And it was headed right for the pier where Kyle and Jenna's parents were.

Time seemed to slow; Kyle, Garcia and Jasmine looked up to see the looming rock above them. They and Felix had pure terror etched upon their visages.

Dora ran towards Kyle, despite the fact that she was too far away to make a difference.

Thomas threw what psynergy he had at the stone as he ran towards it, but it was too little too late. He slipped on the mud, twisting his ankle.

Jenna screamed and covered her eyes, not wanting to see what was coming.

Garet and Isaac were paralysed with shock, seeing what was happening, what was about to happen. Like Jenna, Isaac covered his eyes, not wanting to bear witness to the inevitable.

There was a sickening crash. And then…

Silence.

Opening his eyes, Isaac viewed a sight that made him feel like collapsing. Half of the house had been destroyed. The pier was simply…gone. And so were his father and Jenna's family. The howling wind barely registered in Isaac's mind, nor did he feel the chill that the rain brought. The chill of death overshadowed it.

"Kyle…not, it must be a dream…" Dora whispered, staring at the space where her husband had been standing a few seconds ago.

"Mum…dad…Felix…" Jenna whispered. "Please…no…don't leave me like this…" Jenna fell onto her knees, letting the tears come again, with more intensity than ever before.

Thomas lay on the ground staring, his twisted ankle seemingly not bothering him.

Isaac was tempted to join them, to succumb to his grief. His father was gone, along with Jenna's family. He may as well…no, there was still time… "There's still time," Isaac shouted, running back along the rope bridge. There was no indication that anyone had heard him or was even aware of his departure, but Isaac didn't care. He could get back to the plaza, find some help and then run downriver, rescuing them.

The treacherous seed of hope didn't last long. Isaac came to a ledge that overlooked the plaza, seeing that everyone had left, the boulder's fall probably being the final incentive. No-one could help him. The chances of saving the lives of his father and Jenna's family were drastically reduced.

"_No," _thought Isaac, slumping against the ledge above him, finally giving in to grief and exhaustion. _"There never was a chance."_

Everything…_everything _that he'd doe this night had been for nothing. He'd let his family and friends down. He'd failed. The tears finally came bursting out. Isaac didn't care that he was sitting in mud, didn't care that he was freezing from the wind and rain. Nothing seemed to matter anymore. Nothing would ever-…

"Only the two of us survived," came a male voice, weary, yet filled with a degree of power. Isaac heard it but paid little heed, continuing to sob.

'You needn't blame yourself," came another voice. It was female, but filled with the same combination of weariness and power. "How could we have anticipated that Sol Sanctum would unleash such fury?"

Isaac found himself subconsciously getting to his feet and listening intently. Where were the two voices coming from?

"It's a miracle that even the two of us were spared," came the male voice.

"That switch…it must have been a trap…" answered the other.

Isaac finally caught sight of the voices' sources, seeing a man and woman standing on the ledge above him, facing northwards. His feelings of grief began to be replaced by feelings of bewilderment. Sol Sanctum? Switches? What was this all about?

The pair turned towards the village but such was the angle and height that they didn't see Isaac, although that didn't mean he was unaware of their appearance in turn. Luckily, they didn't hear his gasp of shock either; both were indeed humanoid, but there were key differences-the man's skin was a light grey colour, with hair of a similar tone. The woman's pigmentation was white, and her hair a curled gold. She might have been considered attractive, but the red markings on her face that were akin to war paint cancelled out any notion of _that._

"But to think that the sanctum could conjure up a storm this powerful!" continued the man.

"Merely another demonstration of the awesome powers of alchemy," his female counterpart stated simply.

The man nodded; "Perhaps. Regardless, we must not fail the next time we challenge Sol Sanctum." With that, the pair began to walk away.

"Agreed," said the woman. "Next time we shall certainly-…"

"Isaac, wait!" yelled a voice.

Isaac's heart skipped a beat as he saw Garet running towards him. The pair stopped, turned, walked back to the edge of the ledge and looked down at Isaac with menace.

"You were listening to us just now, weren't you?" the man hissed.

"Y-y-yes," Isaac stammered. The power the pair radiated…Isaac felt that lying would not only fail to fool them, but would incur even more of their likely wrath.

"Isaac?" asked Garet, walking up to him. "Who are these people? What's going on?"

"You must forget everything you heard," said the female simply.

"Huh?" asked Garet, oblivious to the nature of the situation. "Forget what? How can we just forget something?"

"Oh don't worry," grinned the man. "We'll help you!"

With that, the pair jumped down from the ledge. Isaac saw that the man was equipped with a longsword and the woman a scythe, but neither had their weapons drawn. Before Isaac or Garet could fully comprehend the situation, the man raised his hand. There was a white flash of heat, excruciating pain, and then…nothing.

The man walked up to the unconscious boys, nudging both with his foot. Apparently satisfied with the results, he turned to his partner. Both gave a nod of understanding. With that, they headed south along the riverbanks, out of Vale, into the night, leaving the unconscious bodies of their victims behind them.

The sun was rising and the storm was abating. But for some, such tidings would bring no comfort.


	2. Revelations

**Golden Sun: The Broken Seal**

**Chapter 1: Revelations**

Mt. Aleph. The most sacred peak on the continent of Angara. It was said that it was the world's first landform, that it had existed for as long as the world itself had. In contrast to its grandeur however, was a quiet village at its base, known as Vale, seemingly the last community in the world where Adepts could be found-those who could wield the power of psynergy. This involved the power of influencing objects with one's mind alone or even wielding the power of one of the four elements-earth, fire, wind and water.

The elders of this remote community had been the caretakers of the sanctum for as long as the village had existed. Even longer than that technically, Sol Sanctum was older than the village itself. Those who guarded the mountain and its secrets in the present, namely the year 2999 of the Fourth Age, were descended from its prior guardians. Built in honor of the sun god, Sol, the sanctum had been built into the side of Mt. Aleph, supposedly holding the secret of the seal placed on the ancient power of alchemy.

Vale's legends spoke of this, but the elders remained tight lipped on what actually resided within that mountain. Some suspected that they actually had no idea exactly what they were guarding. But even the legends did not speak of the being that resided inside that mountain, well beyond the scope and comprehension of mere men, save for a select few that were few and far between.

In physical terms, it would have been incorrect to say that the Wise One existed physically inside the mountain. Yet his spiritual self was there, present in the innermost chamber. It let out an earthly sigh making the walls of the cavern heave as it searched for what it was looking for. It had been like this for two years, but time was an irrelevant fact. To the Wise One, the goal was all that mattered.

"You seem troubled Wise One." The voice stirred the Wise One out of his search and he turned to its attention to the source. He quickly found it-Atum, the head Venus Djinn and arguably the closest of his kind to the Wise One, was speaking to him from across the void. "Are you alright?" he asked.

The Wise One sighed again, generating the same effect within the cavern. He knew that he should really concentrate on his search, but at times, normal conversation was rewarding. Whenever he spoke to those of the mortal races he felt compelled to give the impression of being all wise and powerful. He was, of course, but at times grew tired of it. "Wise One" was just as much a name as a title.

"I am disturbed," the Wise One said eventually. "The race of men has proven to be more impatient than I thought."

"You are referring to the thieves?" Atum asked.

"Correct." The thieves had infiltrated the sanctum two years ago, prompting the Wise One into action, although technically "action" was hardly the correct word, given how little had been done in those two years. There was more silence, the general state of existence in the cavern. "So what is to be done?" asked Atum eventually.

The Wise One sighed again, something that he seemed to be doing often. "I cannot interfere with the actions of men," he said eventually. "I was hoping for this 'hurdle' to occur at least a few generations from now. There are threats residing inside and outside this world and this could prove to be Weyard's undoing. But if humanity wants to rush the process of its salvation or destruction then so be it."

"Will you be providing guidance?" asked the djinn.

"Of course, you expected otherwise?"

Atum grinned, conveying the image to his master. "Truth be told, I did. You've been taking it pretty easy over the millennia. You haven't provided physical guidance since the end of the Second Age."

"I haven't had to since then," sighed the Wise One, reminiscing on the five millennia of peace he had obtained since the end of the Second Age, namely the year 2151 on the human calendar.

"Given the disreputable state that man is in now however, that might have to change," the Wise One finished, snapping out of his reminiscence."

"Come on, don't be like that," said Atum, adopting a patronizing tone. "You don't really feel that way. You decided that man was destined to rule Weyard, choosing over the other three."

"With Sol's backing of course."

"Same difference."

The Wise One remained silent, reflecting that Atum had a point. Despite all of man's faults, he couldn't help feeling affection towards them. It may have come from millennia from providing guidance but there was a certain simple complexity to men that he admired. Their characteristics were truly diverse, both mentally and physically. Although there were many times when an individual would seek power for his or her own selfish purposes that made the Wise One want to ask Sol to unleash some kind of holocaust, heroism and compassion always seemed to prevail. They made a good show. Almost like they were children and he was the father.

"I guess you're right," said the Wise One eventually. "I will be providing guidance. But I must find a worthy individual before the gauntlet is thrown down."

"Any luck so far?" asked Atum.

"No," answered the Wise One simply, his frustration at his inability to find such an individual rising in intensity. Although he had welcomed Atum's intrusion at first, he was now beginning to tire of it. He suspected that unless he cut off the conversation soon, it would develop into a game of 'twenty questions.'

"Any word from Sol?" Atum continued.

"Of course not," said the Wise One curtly. "The bearded geyser left Weyard to me long ago."

This time it was Atum's turn to sigh. "Oh well," the djinn said "I have faith in your ability. My comrades are willing to see this through to whatever end there may be." With that, Atum returned to his timeless slumber, like the rest of his race.

The Wise One was secretly glad to see him go, given that time was of the essence. He started casting out his conscience again, but something stirred within him-"Wise One, I seek an audience."

"Sol?" exclaimed the Wise One. "Is that you?"

"Correct. I seek your counsel." drifted the voice; calm, but powerful and full of authority.

"Now's not the best time," protested the Wise One half heartedly, not wanting this interruption to last longer than it had to. "I have much to do, with little time to do it in, and-..."

"That was an _order_, Wise One," Sol interrupted. "Not a request."

The Wise One sighed again. "Coming."

**XXXX**

It took a large amount of willpower but the Wise One finally managed to thrust his spirit into the sun. The sun was a physical object, but Sol, the god who resided inside it was not-indeed, he hadn't taken physical form since the end of the First Age. Although he felt anxious at leaving Weyard unwatched, the Wise One felt certain anticipation. Sol may have been his master ever since they forged their pact towards the end of the First Age but he was the only being that the Wise One would actually consider a friend, or at least one on the same level. Eventually he reached the inner core, where Sol's spirit was waiting.

"Ah Wise One," the sun god beamed, maintaining his avatar of a bearded man with long white robes. "Welcome, welcome."

"I have little time for pleasantries Sol," said the Wise One curtly, wanting to maintain a degree of authority that Sol's friendly demur seemed to be trying to strip him of. "This will have to be quick."

"Why the rush my friend?" Sol asked, still smiling. "I would have thought that you'd want to catch up. After all, we haven't spoken for...what? Four millennia?"

"Five actually," answered the Wise One. "But what does it matter? Time is an irrelevant factor for beings such as us."

His master nodded; "True. So what's been happening in the world below?"

The Wise One was becoming more and more irritated at Sol's demur. True, he appreciated conversation but still wanted to ensure that such conversation actually had a purpose to it, considering that not only was fate conspiring against them, but entering the fiery orb that orbited the world of Weyard took a great deal of effort.

"I think you know Sol," said the Wise One irritably. "Those thieves breaking into Sol Sanctum is merely the beginning of the coming conflict."

"Conflict?" asked Sol. "You make it sound as if there's a war coming. I seriously doubt-..."

"If those thieves succeed in their goal, there will be a war!" shouted the Wise One. "You may consider yourself detached from the world's affairs Sol, but that doesn't stop the fact that conflict is an unpleasant aspect of the world, one that should be prevented whenever the opportunity arises."

Sol's rage was beginning to match that of his counterpart; "Don't lecture me, Wise One. It didn't take me more than a century to act on such matters."

"Perhaps," sneered the Wise One. "But you're hardly a martyr, what with Dullahan fighting your battles for you. Iris probably-..."

"You're straying into dangerous ground," snarled Sol, the golden aura surrounding him taking on a more ominous tone, despite its radiance."

"Perhaps," admitted the Wise One. "But unless you want me to continue such a trend, I suggest that you get to the point of this meeting."

"Very well," said Sol. "I hoped to have a simple chat, but I may as well cut to the chase and tell you that you're wasting your time."

"Pardon?" asked the Wise One. If anyone was wasting time in the Wise One's mind, it was Sol, not himself.

Sol smiled faintly; "You've been searching for a champion the past two months haven't you, one who is destined to deal with the issue of alchemy's return?"

"Of course, the situation requires it," said the Wise One curtly. "I'll have to make a choice soon, given that the Proxians are preparing to strike again."

"Choice isn't required this time, Wise One," said Sol softly. "This time, your choice has been made for you. Pre-ordained in a sense."

"What?" whispered the Wise One.

Sol chuckled; "You think I haven't paid attention to what's been happening in recent times?"

"Well I-..."

"You seemed content to sit by three thousand years ago," continued Sol. "I must say, the sages performed quite well, given the lack of guidance. Still, that doesn't mean that they were above basic emotions."

The Wise One nodded; although he had let matters progress as they did three thousand years ago, with the sealing of alchemy, he had still kept general tabs on what those involved had gone through, watching on with both admiration and disgust. Especially at the end of all things, with the final confrontation in the Star Chamber...

"I see that you remember what occurred all those millennia ago," said Sol. "Also care to remember our favorite wind adept?"

"Vani?" asked the Wise One. "What does she have to do with anything?"

"More than you know, considering the ones who inhabit this world right now," said Sol, smiling faintly. It was a strange feeling, but he was beginning to enjoy leading the Wise One around on a leash. Asserting one's authority over others had a distinct appeal to it.

"Did you really think I was content to stay my hand after my departure from the world?" asked Sol. "Of course not. I saw what had to be done, and did it."

"Did what?" the Wise One whispered.

"What had to be done," repeated Sol simply. Seeing the bemused look on his friend's face, he chuckled;

"Manipulation is easier than you think, Wise One. It's time I filled you in on a few pointers."

**XXXX**

Awe and shock were not emotions that came easily to the Wise One. It was understandable really; given the power he wielded and how his consciousness was tied to the world itself, his experience of such feelings were limited. Now however, in light of what Sol had told him, the emotions were coming on full force. Well, at least shock was. Awe was absent from the Wise One's mind at this point in time, as "awe" implied that the one who felt it was impressed at what lay before him, or had what been told. While in the Wise One's case it had been a case of the latter, awe was not something that he was experiencing. Instead, he was experiencing something akin to resentment, or even outright disgust.

"You have a lot of nerve, you know?" the Wise One growled. "Your actions certainly don't make allowances for the feelings of the individual."

"Vani did what she had to do," said Sol simply. If he was feeling any guilt as to what he had done, the sun god refused to show it.

The Wise One chuckled; "Don't confuse what one has to do with what one chooses to do. There are few circumstances in this world or any other where choice is completely denied to an individual." He glared at Sol; "This isn't one of them."

"Perhaps," shrugged Sol. "But by hearing me out thus far, you have already made your choice to an extent, as to what must be done. I-..."

"Don't act all so high and mighty!" shouted the Wise One. "It's not as if the results of your little bout of spirit seeding worked as planned! The events a year ago are testament to that!"

"A year ago?" asked Sol, not liking where the conversation was going, seeing that the leash he had the Wise One on had become extendable. "What are you talking about? The thieves struck two years ago, not one."

"Don't feign ignorance!" shouted the Wise One. "One year ago, an individual gained entrance to Sol Sanctum, his manner of doing so unexpected, his actions just plain...strange." He glared at Sol; "Given your actions however, it all makes sense."

For the first time since the meeting had begun, Sol displayed a hint of guilt; "Your suspicions are correct and your criticism validated," said the deity slowly, his voice laced with what bordered on regret. However, keep in mind that in the current day and age, heroes are hard to come by, and I had I not done what I did, there may have been no hero at all."

The Wise One snorted; "Hardly a tragedy. Heroes are overrated, not to mention that the term is overused and subjective."

"Perhaps," shrugged Sol. "But regardless of your misgivings, you'll have to bear with such an individual. More than one, in fact."

"_Have to_?" asked the Wise One. "I don't believe I actually agreed to the course of action."

"Don't delude yourself," said Sol simply. "You've already made a choice to follow the course of action that I have proposed, even if you don't understand why."

The Wise One remained silent, mulling over Sol's words. True, the god, perhaps the only one in this universe that the term could realistically be applied to, possessed a degree of foresight, but did that make him infallible? It wasn't as if the being was above error and misjudgment, the events of the distant past being testament to these facts. The events he had foreseen, events that, too an extent, he had arranged... were they set in stone? Was there indeed fate in this universe, and if so, did it apply to them? Was the future set?

Of course, denial of the current situation in Weyard, what with the sealing of alchemy and the threat of its return, presented an equally significant risk...

"I understand that I ask much of you in this," said Sol, sensing his friend's hesitation. "However, one way or another, Weyard's time is ending. Our actions, along with the actions of humanity, will dictate the manner of such an end." He looked hard at the Wise One, this time with fully visible regret; "can I count on you to do what must be done, to carry out what will ensure salvation?"

After an eternity of silence, an eternity of pondering all possible ends, regardless of how likely or unlikely they may have been, the Wise One reached his decision. He spoke one simple word, a word that cast both doom and salvation on himself, the world and those who dwelt within it.

"Yes."

**A/N-Chapter Revision (17/05/07)**

_This chapter has always been a thorn in my side, and it shows too, considering that these notes reflect the THIRD version of this damn post. It's been tempting to take it down altogether, but the negatives of a fic characterize it as much as its positives I suppose. If I was to correct every single thing I'm not completely satisfied with in this story…well, lets just say eternity would look less rosy ;)_

_Anyway, hopefully this will be the final time I have to do such a thing; past versions functioned too much like a script and probably had too many plot hints for its own good. There still are some, but mainly minimized to prevent this chapter from giving a reader a giant 'WTF' moment._

_Anyway, lore errors have been corrected (eg there were some conflicting timeline issues within this chapter) and Nev's name changed to Atum, named after an Egyptian god of the earth, one who was later associated with the sun. Major changes in interaction between Sol and the Wise One have also been made. The past versions seemed a bit too…rosy. _

_Anyway, as of this point in time (concerning Broken Seal), I intend to make the necessary retcons in future chapters (although it's EXTREMELY unlikely that I'll do full chapter revisions) and get on with actually writing the story. Hopefully it shouldn't take too long, but no promises._


	3. Three Years Later

**Golden Sun: The Broken Seal**

**Chapter 2: Three Years Later…**

Three years. Three years had passed since the worst storm in living memory had occurred in Vale. But, in typical stoicism, the people of Vale had moved on. The landslides were cleared, houses rebuilt and lives continued. The speed of which those three years passed had varied for people. For the young they tended to move quickly. They were still in the prime of their life; they didn't feel the need to savor every living moment. For the elderly, time progressed at its usual slow pace. They knew that their time would come in the near future; they wanted to live their remaining years in a way that allowed them to sample all of what the world had to offer.

And then there were others.

Walking up the path towards the houses of Isaac and Garet, Jenna would have vehemently denied that she was one of those others, one of those where the flow of one's life drastically speeds up or decreases due to some traumatic event. But although the flow of her life had returned to normal, she couldn't help casting her mind back to that fateful night and its aftermath. Today was no exception, especially since what she and her friends were going to do today probably wouldn't have even occurred if it wasn't for the events of three years ago.

With her house destroyed, Jenna had taken up residence in the village inn, as she had no living relatives. The owner, a burly man named Herbert, had been a close friend of her father and had allowed her to stay free of charge. Isaac had ended up in the same position, as his distraught mother was refusing to see anyone, staying in her house all day, and Isaac decided to give her privacy. In the initial few days there were fears that he'd lost the ability to speak because of the incident, but he hadn't completely lost the ability. He'd just become more quiet and reserved than even Felix had.

The first month was hell on Weyard for Jenna and Isaac, and made only better by the comfort of each other's presence. Various people came in with comments such as; "your brother was a fine lad," and "your father would have been proud of you." Garet was the only one whose presence they didn't resent. Like Isaac, he was feeling a great wave of guilt for being struck by lightning and failing to save Felix and the others (or was it a boulder? Jenna couldn't remember the official explanation).

It was at the end of the first month when the three of them, all in a subdued state when they'd received their final visitor; Kraden, the wizened scholar who lived in a cottage near the foot of Mt. Aleph. Although he'd arrived from outside Vale many years back, he'd quickly earned the respect of the populace with his knowledge of alchemy. Still, he kept to himself and his visit had come as a great surprise. Jenna remembered the visit clearly;

**XXXX**

_Jenna, Isaac and Garet were lying around the floor in Jenna's room in the inn. Garet's attempts at making conversation were failing miserably and Isaac and Jenna were just as reserved as ever. Jenna hadn't even bothered to tie up her hair in her usual ponytail. What was the point?_

_Suddenly the door opened, and in walked Kraden. Garet stood up. "You sure have a lot of nerve not knocking!"_

"_My apologies," said Kraden simply. "But I doubt you would have answered. Anyway, Isaac, Jenna, how are you feeling?"_

"_How are they feeling?" shouted Garet. "How do you think they're feeling?"_

"_Quite rotten I expect," responded Kraden. "Trust me, I know how this feels."_

_Jenna glared at him. "What? How can you know what this feels? How would you know what it feels like to lose your entire family in a matter of seconds? I've had enough of cold comfort! Just get out! **Get out!**"_

"_No," replied Kraden simply. "Not until you've heard me out."_

_Isaac tried to glare at him, but was too sullen to do so. "Go ahead."_

"_Thank you," smiled the scholar. "Jenna, Isaac, I've come to make you an offer. How would you like to learn of the ways of psyenergy and alchemy?"_

"_Ps-…psyenergy and alchemy?" asked Jenna, the anger having subsided, the misery returning._

"_Yes," continued Kraden. "I'm getting old, my time is coming, it would be a waste not to pass on my knowledge." Garet snorted at this but the old man continued; "It will require a great deal of time and effort, but (his voice took on a softer tone) it will help ease the pain. You know this."_

_There was silence. "I'll do it," croaked Jenna eventually._

"_Very good. Isaac? Will you do it?"_

"_Yes," he replied._

"_Very well then."_

_The group started to walk out the door. "Hey, what about me?" Garet asked._

_Kraden blinked. He hadn't expected Garet of all people to learn scholarly things. "Garet?" he asked. "Would you like to learn too?"_

"_Well-…" he began. "I'm not too sure about the learning, but I've been with Isaac and Jenna the past month. I can't just leave them now. If you want me to stay out of it though, I'll-…"_

"_Garet," Jenna interrupted. "I…I would like your company. Isaac? Can he come?"_

"_Yes," he replied. Garet winced. He hated seeing his friend become so monosyllabic._

**XXXX**

Kraden may have been arrogant in the initial stages and the work was nerve wracking, but the old man had been right-it did help ease the pain. All three of them had started learning how to master psyenergy and even discover their respective element-Jenna and Garet, the hotheads, turned out to have an aptitude for the element of fire (Isaac often remarked that he should have known it all along). Isaac himself turned out to have an aptitude for the element of earth.

"Yes," thought Jenna as she climbed the final set of stairs that led to the section where Isaac and Garet's houses were. "It was for the best." The pain had subsided to a great extent in all of them. Jenna had started tying her hair in a ponytail again and wearing clothes that suited her fashion (today it was a purple cloak with a brown dress and light red tunic), Garet was back to being the loudmouth of the group and Isaac had returned to his old self, no longer speaking in one word sentences. Jenna had started working for a living in the inn (though Herbert still treated her like an illegitimate daughter at times) and Isaac had moved back in with his mother, taking over Kyle's duties.

"Isaac? Have you finished mending the roof?" called out Dora as Jenna passed the house.

"Yeah, I'm nearly done," he called back.

"Alright, keep at it," she called back. "Let me know when you're done, I want to inspect it."

Jenna chuckled. Isaac, with prompting from Garet, had slacked off last time and had his mother looking and shouting like a bat out of hell. The look on Isaac's petrified face was priceless. Knowing that he could take awhile, Jenna headed on to Garet's house.

Arriving outside, he was nowhere to be found. "Hyaa!" came a voice.

"Hee, hee… still training Garet?" she wondered. Walking around the back, she saw Garet moving his training stump with psyenergy. Sweat trickled down, he was putting a lot of effort in for little result, but gradually, it moved, slowly but surely…right onto his sister Kay's flower bed. Jenna grinned, hoping that she'd be present for the tantrum Kay would throw once she found out. Garet broke off his concentration, breathing heavily.

"You sure put your heart into it Garet," she said, walking over.

"Oh that's nothing, I'm just warming up," he said in between breaths.

"Well that's good, it's time to go. Isaac's probably waiting for us."

Jenna started walking back towards Isaac's house. Garet started following, but stumbled. Jenna helped him up. "Garet, why are you doing this?" she asked softly, taking on a kindness that she rarely showed naturally and she made every effort to conceal.

"Huh, what are you talking about?" Garet asked.

"Garet, you know what I'm talking about. I appreciate you're concern but my family's never coming back and neither is Isaac's father. You don't have to put yourself through this to try and make it better. Unless you can remember what happened to you that night that is…"

It was something that Jenna occasionally asked. While she held no ill feelings towards her friends concerning that night, she did want to know what had happened to them, as to what removed any chance of her family being saved. Garet shook his head. After three years, he and Isaac still couldn't remember exactly what happened. Every time they cast their minds back, all they could remember was a lot of white light, heat and…pain.

Jenna had meanwhile returned to her usual self. "Anyway, it's not worth thinking about. Let's get over to Isaac. Hopefully he's slacked off again." Grinning, she turned and walked back to Isaac's house. "Oh, and Garet," she said, turning back to face him. "Think about the whole psyenergy thing. There's other ways to impress me you know."

"W-…what?" he spluttered.

"You know what I mean," she grinned, turning around and continuing to walk.

Sighing, Garet followed her. She did have a point about the whole psyenergy thing, he'd be happy just to work out. He did manage to get some time in though, as, despite the brown clothing he wore, his muscles clearly showed, a distinction from three years ago. He was also secretly proud that he managed to keep his spiky hair the same way, even if it had become browner than the previously light red colour.

"But she's right," he thought. "Psyenergy isn't my strong point. But who can blame me for continuing to study it?" He watched her ponytail swing from side to side as she walked in front of him "After all, she _is _the type of girl a guy would want to impress…"

**XXXX**

"Well, at least the roof lets me get _some _training in," thought Isaac as he used psyenergy to lift the planks and place them under the thatch, using his mastery over the earth to rearrange it. Eventually he was finished. "Ok, I'm done," he called out to his mother.

Dora climbed up the ladder as Isaac sat down to take a swig of water, letting it dribble down his blue tunic and yellow cloak. He ran the rest through messy hair that stuck out all over the place. He'd given up brushing it years ago and his mother had given up complaining about it. Dora finished surveying his work "Good job Isaac, you've patched it up nicely. You're very reliable Isaac, just like your father was." A pained look came over Isaac's face. Dora could see that she'd touched a nerve.

"What is it?" she asked. "Do you still think about the incident?"

"Yes…at least…more than I'd like to."

Dora nodded. "I thought so. It's been the same for me. I was devastated when Kyle died…but I think I'm better now."

Isaac was levitating the flask with psyenergy and screwing back on the cap with the same amount of concentration. "You've been working yourself to the bone studying psyenergy," Dora commented. "Do you think things would have been any different if you had stronger abilities? Is that why you've been studying so hard?"

Isaac nodded. "Yes," he said "If I could use psyenergy back then, we could have got Felix out of the water. We wouldn't have had to go down to the plaza. We could have been out of Vale long before the boulder fell. We-…"

"Isaac, don't dwell on that. There's nothing we could have done."

Isaac nodded again. It was true, he did feel guilty about not being able to help with psyenergy back then, but there was also the matter of being found unconscious. For some reason, he felt that his lack of psyenergy had played a role in that too. If only he could remember exactly what happened…

The circumstances were indeed dubious. The elders had found the unconscious bodies of Isaac and Garet and took them back to their sanctum for healing. They had numerous scorch marks over their bodies and, for some reason, couldn't remember exactly what happened. Some suggested that they'd been struck by lightning. That could explain the burns, but what about the memory loss? Boulders may have knocked them unconscious but how did that explain the burns? There was some evidence that psyenergy had been used but who in Vale would do such a thing? The official explanation was that they'd been struck by boulders and lightning struck nearby, that started a small fire that burnt them slightly until the rain had put it out. Even Garet realized how weak that was.

"Hey Isaac! Isaac!"

Having his thoughts interrupted, Isaac looked down to see Jenna and Garet at the base of the ladder. He and his mother climbed down. "Ah, Jenna, Garet, good morning," said Dora. "Is Isaac free?" asked Jenna.

"Yes, he did a good job with the roof…_this time_." Isaac gave Garet a mock glare. Garet simply grinned. "So what are you planning to do today?"

"We plan to hike up Mt. Aleph with Kraden," answered Garet.

Dora grinned. "Ah yes, kids and their games."

"No it's not, it's part of our studies," blurted out Jenna.

Isaac filled in. "Basically Mt. Aleph is a valuable source of psyenergy, and our abilities will be amplified up there. It's kinda like a practical."

Garet stuck out his chest proudly. "The elders say we have a lot of potential," said the fire adept.

"Yeah, but I don't think they included you in that statement," said Jenna sarcastically.

Everyone except Garet chuckled. "Alright," said Dora to Isaac. "I'd rather you grow up to be a normal man, but knowing you, you'll still want to go."

"Damn straight," he said. "Someone needs to make sure that these two don't suffer from vertigo." More chuckles.

"Well, you better get going,"

The trio started walking off. Sighing Dora started to walk back indoors. Suddenly there was a crack. Walking in, she saw that the patches that Isaac had placed had partially collapsed. "Oh, that boy is going to be in _so _much trouble when he gets back!"


	4. Mysterious Circumstances

**Golden Sun: The Broken Seal**

**Chapter 3: Mysterious Circumstances**

Isaac could swear that he heard his mother let out a yell of rage as he, Garet and Jenna left his house. "But why would she do that?" he wondered. "I patched up the roof well enough, unless..." He turned over to look at Garet, who was engaged in some scaterbrained conversation with Jenna. "Unless that lout's influence is starting to rub off on me." Still, Garet was a good friend. Isaac was willing to give him the benifit of the doubt.

As they neared Garet's house, Isaac turned his attention to the conversation that his two friends were having. He couldn't make much sense of it, although Garet was stammering a lot and Jenna blushing in equal measure. Isaac couldn't help grinning-it was almost cute how Garet had absolutely no idea how to hide, let alone deal with a crush. Jenna seemed to enjoy the attention, probably because the male fire adept almost always ended up embarressing himself.

Still, there were times when Isaac felt a degree of jealousey towards Garet's frequent conversations with Jenna. It was pretty obvious where this small jealousey came from, he knew that his relationship with the girl, at least to him, went beyond the bounds of normal friendship. He'd felt it for quite awhile, ever since that tragic night where he'd lost his father and Jenna her entire family. Garet's presence was welcome, but Jenna was able to make it more bearable than even he could, since she was the only one who had any idea of what he was going through. Of course, it was the same for her. There'd been a few times when Isaac considered telling her about these feelings, but could never bring himself to do it. Ever since the death of his father he'd been more reluctant to open up to people, and although he was back to his old self now, he was old enough to understand that any special feelings he harboured for her may simply be a crush. "May as well let Garet play the lovesick one," he thought. "At least we'll get plenty of laughs."

**XXXX**

The three adepts were conversing as they passed Garet's house. Garet suddenly trailed off as he saw his eight year old brother Aaron almost skipping up to him. He was grinning like a maniac, a sign that he'd either been rewarded for doing a menial chore or he knew of some iminant trouble or hidden secret. Given the fact that he was grinning at Garet, the later seemed to be the case. "Hey there pal, what's up with the grin?" asked Garet.

"I would have thought you'd know," Aaron chuckled.

"Er, no?" Garet looked at Jenna who was giggling, seemingly knowing what Aaron was talking about. Isaac looked fairly puzzled but was starting to have an idea as to what Aaron was happy about. Garet was still completely clueless. "Aaron, what happened?"

"You're training stone crushed Kay's flowers!" exclaimed Aaron, breaking into a little dance of joy. Seeing Kay yelling at Garet was always an amusing show, even if it did occur regularly.

"Er, really?" asked Garet weakly.

"Yep. She should find out right about...now."

**"GARET!"**

Jenna, Isaac and Aaron burst out laughing as they saw Garet's twenty year oldsister Kay storming out from the garden, cradeling a clutch of crushed flowers in her hands. All colour from Garet's face had drained and he'd broken into a sweat. "Garet you make me so mad sometimes! Any idea why?"

"Um, well-..."

"Your training stone crushed my flowers!" The tenth time this has happened!" she shouted, sounding like a banshee. The look on Garet's face made it seem like he was viewing one also.

"Um, will saying sorry help?" he asked timidly

"Sorry! Sorry? You have no clue do you?" she shrieked. "Oh you'll be in for it tonight! Just wait and see!" With that, she headed back to the garden to give the deceased flowers the burial she deserved.

Garet turned back to face Jenna and Isaac, who were doubling up. Aaron had run off, probably to tell his friends about the show that they could expect at his house tonight. Garet seemed to stammer for awhile. "Um, shall we get going then?" he asked eventually.

**XXXX**

Garet's face was white as they crossed the bridge suspended over the bridge, and it wasn't due to his fear of water. Deciding to let him stew in fear, Jenna and Isaac were conversing with each other; "So what do you think we'll be doing on Mt. Aleph exactly?" Jenna asked.

Isaac shrugged. "I don't know. Since it's Kraden we're dealing with, probably not much."

"Yeah, he'll probably be telling us what to do more than letting us do it," chuckled Jenna. "You know, showing us how 'wise' he is in the ways of psyenergy and alchemy."

Garet groaned at this, starting to recover from the aftershock of Kay's tantrum. "You don't have to remind me. Still, we should get a good view of the surounding lands."

"So?" asked Isaac. "What's to see? Isn't it just plains stretching south of Vale and mountains to the north?"

"I guess," shrugged Garet. "Still, we may be able to catch sight of Vault."

"Vault? What's that?" asked Jenna curiously. Isaac was also fairly interested. Since Garet's grandfather was mayor of Vale, he often frequented visiting travellers, considering that they were Vale's primary scource of information of the events of the outside world. It was throughsuch travellers that they'd learnt of the decline of psyenergy in the outside world, now only weilded by few individuals that were either revered or shunned, depending on the culture.Vale was officially isolationsist and self sufficent, primarily due to the secrets of psyenergy that had to be preserved.

Garet tried to exclude an air of knowlage as he began to explain (failing miserably-intelligence wasn't his forte). "Vault is a town south of Vale, about two days walk. Apparantly its located at the heart of Angara."

Jenna snorted; "Seems like self promotion to me."

"Sounds like it," Isaac agreed.

"Still," said Jenna as they finished crossing the bridge. "It would probably be worth visiting. Ceartinly more exciting then dreary Vale."

"Aw come on, Vale isn't that bad," Isaac protested half heartedly."

"Ohh, 'ickle Isaac a city boy is he?" asked Garet sarcasticly. "Oh well, you can stay here if you want, Jenna and I can go out and explore the world, perhaps even find the Mars Clan." He clasped a hand to his chest; "Finally, I could find someone who shares the pain!"

"Pain?" exclaimed Jenna. "What pain? The pain of having low intelligence?"

"Nah, the pain of having a boring Venus adept as a best friend." Isaac grinned, although he wasn't sure whether he should take that as a compliment or an insult. Probably both.

"Wow Garet, you actually managed to say something in a historical context," remarked Isaac sarcasticly. Garet gave him a playfull punch. Traditionlly the Mars Clan and Venus Clan were staunch allies, at least from what he remembered Kraden saying (he often drabled off when giving lectures). Still, Garet would be wasting his time if he did such a thing. The four clans (Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Mercury) were supposed to have died out long ago. Vale was the only place left in the world where adepts could be found regularly and even then, they much weaker than those said to have existed in ages past. Although everyone could weid psyenergy to a limited degree, it was mostly only the elders that had any significant ties to a particular element. Isaac, Garet and Jenna were three exceptions to this rule. The elders expected great things of them.

"Still, Garet does have a point though," remarked Jenna. "You've got to learn to lossen up more, be less cautious"

"Hey, I'm fine the way I am," protested Isaac. Garet shrugged and started another conversation with Jenna. Isaac sighed. There were times when he felt like he was the odity of their trio. Garet and Jenna were clearly alike in personality-loud, obnoxious, sometimes annoying but still people with a well developed sense of humour and blessed with the spirit of true friendship. On the other hand, Isaac was silent, perceptive and often reluctant to socialise. When Felix had still been alive the personalities had been balanced out, considering that the two of them were so similar in many respects. There were times when Isaac considered Felix more of a friend then Garet, given his tendency to stick up for him whenever Jenna and Garet were slinging insults in his direction. He would have also proven useful in the history lessons that Kraden gave, given his love of the subject.Still, those days were long past, and Isaac, along with Jenna, had to deal with it. Isaac often phyricly wondered what kind of adept Felix would have grown up to become. Still, he never voiced such querries. There was no reason to upset Jenna over the memory of her departed brother. Even Garet, who often displayed a lack of tact, was able to understand that. Anyway-

"They seem to know little of Sol Sanctum's mysteries." Isaac froze at the turn of the bend that led to Kraden's cottage. Jenna and Garet seemed to have heard it too. They started to walk on again, but Isaac pulled them back. "I was right, you are cautious," remarked Jenna cheekily.

"Quiet," hissed Isaac as they lingered against the hill face of which Kraden's cottage was situated, hiding them from view. Isaac furrowed his brow. The male voice seemed familiar. In fact, the entire situation reeked of deja vu.

"The elders must not allow anyone to enter it, not even Kraden." There was the voice again, filled with power. It still sounded familiar, but was missing something. "Weariness perhaps?" wondered Isaac. "But why should weariness be present?" He glanced at Garet and Jenna. They were both listening intently, although Garet didn't seem to be displaying any signs of recognition. "But why should he?" wondered Isaac. "Why would I expect him to?"

"Kraden...can we use him?" The question came from a female voice, seemingly brimming with power also. To Isaac, it was as seemingly familiar as the male one.

"Hmm... his knowlage is no mean thing. Yes, we can use him. He could prove usefull at the lighthouses."

The female sighed. "But he's more stubborn then we expected."

"Yes, and cunning. Cunning beyond measure."

Garet and Jenna were making motions for them to confront the two but Isaac silently urged restraint. It was strange, but he felt like pieces of a puzzle were coming together, like gaps in his memory were being restored.

"Well, we can't tarry long as far as the old man is concerned." This came from the male one.

"Indeed?"

"Yes. It'll only be a matter of time until he gains entrance to the sanctum and retrieves the four stars."

The woman let out a hollow laugh. "That probably wouldn't be so bad. Retrieving them from him would be much easier then going into the sanctum again."

"Again?" Isaac wondered.

" Also, you're forgetting that only adepts can enter the sanctum," pointed out the woman. "And even if he did gain entry, he's a senile old man. He'd probably trip the switch like we did."

"You don't have to remind me of that incident."

"It's been three years."

"So? It still weighs heavilly on my mind."

"That wasn't your fault, you shouldn't punish yourself for it."

"What does Sol Sanctum have to do with switches and an incident three years ago?" wondered Isaac, trying to make sense of it all. It was odd, but he felt like he'd asked that same question before. But when? "Think about the storm three years ago," echoed part of his mind. "Ring a bell?"

"Well anyway, it doesn't matter," continued the woman. "If he won't come willingly we can always..." She trailed off.

"What is it?" The female didn't answer. All Isaac could hear was one set of footsteps closely followed by another. He quickly got up from his crouched position and tried to look like he'd been walking. With any luck, Garet and Jenna had followed his cue. He didn't have time to check though, as it was at this point that the mystery pair rounded the corner. Isaac's mouth hung open at the sight of them. The man was indeed humanoid but there were key differences-his skin was a lightish grey colour with hair of a similar tone. He was wearing a blue chestplate and a longsword was sheathed in a scabbard that hung from his belt. The woman's pigmentation was white and her hair was a curled gold. She might have been considered reasonably attractive but the red markings on her face that were akin to warpaint cancelled out any notion of that. The scythe she carried at her side didn't help matters either. They seemed eerily familiar. In fact, he felt that that his mind had surmised their appearance word for word since the last time he saw them. "Huh? When did I see them?" Isaac wondered.

"You there!" hissed the man. "What are you doing!"

"What are we doing?" asked Garet. "We're just passing through. Something wrong with that?"

"Don't lie to us!" sneered the woman. "You were evesdropping on our conversation weren't you?"

"Huh? You were having a conversation?" asked Jenna innocently. "We only just got here, we weren't trying to interupt you or anything." Isaac let out a sigh of relief, glad that not only had Garet and Jenna been quick on the uptake (quite unusual in Garet's case) but they were both being level headed.

Isaac noticed that the female was staring intently at him, making him feel like his very soul was under scrutiny. "And you expect us to believe this?" she asked slowly. "How do we know that you haven't been sneaking around?"

"What?" exclaimed Garet. "You're the ones who were sneaking around!"

"Sneaking..." hissed the man. "Who are you to acuse me?"

"I think we've got every right to, considering that you're the outsiders here," pointed out Jenna haughtilly. Isaac slapped his hand against his forhead. They were surely going to get into a fight with this kind of attitude.

The man's gaze slowly survayed them. "So...Kraden's engagement was with you?"

"Yes, we were on our way to meet him," stated Jenna simply. "We'd already be there if you'd let us pass."

"Oh I see!" snarled the woman. "And I suppose you think your appointment is important enough to drive us away?"

Garet went to say something but Isaac gave him a quick elbow in the chest, not wanting to incur the strangers wrath, like before. "_What, before_?" he wondered. "Er, no, you don't have to go," he said diplomaticly, back to focusing on the present. "Feel free to stay in Vale, just please respect our affairs."

"Wimp," Garet murmured, clutching his winded stomach.

"Nevertheless, Kraden sent us away because of you," said the man. "I don't like playing second fiddle." Isaac noticed that his right hand was slowly edging towards the hilt of his sword. The woman was clutching her scythe unusually tightly, almost as if getting ready for battle. "Surely...surely they wouldn't," thought Isaac. _"Why wouldn't they? They've done so before."_ The man's hand clasped the hilt of his sword, seemingly ready to draw it out...but decided against it, going into a more relaxed position. "Go," he said simply."

"You're...you're letting us go?" stammered Isaac. The man nodded.

"'Bought time," Garet muttered. He started to walk ahead but the woman steped in front of him. She stared intently at him, as if peering into the recesses of his counciousness. She turned to face her partner. "Wait, are you sure about this Saturos?"

"Menardi, we have no reason to delay these children any furthur."

"So Saturos and Menardi are their names," thought Isaac. "I'd do well to remember them. But damit, why do they seem so familiar?"

"Come on, let's go," said Garet, leading them past the mystery duo. Jenna quickly followed. Isaac took up the rear, but stopped and turned back to look at them. It was driving him nuts, the feeling that he'd seen them before...that they may have had something to do with the storm...

"Go child, you mustn't keep Kraden waiting," murmured the one apparantly named Saturos. Isaac refused to move.

"Didn't you here him?" asked the one named Menardi. "Scram! Before we change our minds!" Backing off warilly, Isaac obliged.

**XXXX**

Saturos watched the blonde teenage brat walk off. "Right," he said to Menardi as soon as he was out of earshot. "Now that those kids have scampered off I suggest we-..."

"Saturos," interupted Menardi. "What are we going to do about the two boys?"

"What? Why would they concern us?"

Menardi sighed. "Don't you remember them?"

Saturos laughed. "I would have thought you'd know me well enough to know that I don't associate with teenage brats, apart from-..."

"Those boys. They're the same ones that we ambushed three years ago."

What little colour there was in Saturos's face quickly drained. "You...you are sure?"

"Quite. I'm no Jupiter Adept but the boys are undoubtedly the same. From what I can tell, their memories are starting to return." Saturos clenched his fist. Not really in fear, but ceartinly in trepidation. "If they alert the elders," he voiced softly. "Ugh, we should have killed them when we had the chance, rather than simply leaving them uncouncious!"

"Don't dwell on it, we couldn't have predicted that it would come to this," soothed Menardi. "Actually, this could be turned into our advantage."

"Really? How's that?"

Menardi grinned. "Kraden understands more than they do. They're adepts, they could give him access to Sol Sanctum, he could get in after all. Perhaps even make it to the Sanctum's heart."

"They're just kids. How could they succeed where we failed?"

"The fact that their memories are starting to recover is a clear sign of their potential power. They could have what it takes. Even if they fail, how would that be a disadvantage to us?"

Saturos nodded. "Yes...yes, that could work. Anyway, let's find the others, see what their thoughts are on the matter." With a nod from Menardi, the two of them walked off, neither of them looking anywhere but straight forward

If either of them had chanced to look up, they would have seen someone watching them-a brown haired male in his early twenties wearing a frayed green traveling cloak, hiding the two short swords sheathed in his belt. He sighed-from the looks of things, it seemed that the two Proxians had formulated a plan that suited their interests. Hopefully those three adepts could do something about it, but he was in no position to give advice at this point, that would lead to awkward questions. He would have loved to eliminate Saturos and Menardi himself, but he was no adept, he'd simply get himself killed. Sighing, he walked off. He may as well see what Vale had to offer. Even if the sanctum's seal was broken, it wasn't a straight guarantee of the apocolypse that would result with alchemy's return...

**XXXX**

"Honestly, the nerve of those two!" exclaimed Jenna as they walked the last stretch of path towards Kraden's house. "Why were they so hostile? People like that really get on my nerves!"

"What, people like yourself?" asked Garet sarcasticly. Jenna simply stuck her tounge out at him. Garet turned to Isaac. "Still, if people in the outside world are like that, maybe you were right about staying in Vale."

"Er, pardon?" asked Isaac.

"I said you may have been right about staying in Vale."

"I'm sorry, what are we talking about?" asked Isaac. His mind was still on the two strangers.

Garet and Jenna turned to face him. "Alright Isaac, what's wrong?" asked Jenna. Garet stared at him with equal curiosity. Isaac wished he could simply sink into the ground. Should he tell her that he thought that those two were responsible from preventing him and Garet from being able to find help and save her family, that they'd triggered the storm that caused the disaster in the first place? Probably not. At best she'd think he was paranoid, at worst she'd think he was trying to upset her over the memories of the incident. Garet though...

"Um, Jenna, could you go on ahead?" he asked eventually. "I need to talk with Garet privatly. You know, boy stuff."

Jenna raised an eyebrow. "Whatever," she said eventually, heading off down the path haughtilly, ponytail swinging from side to side. Garet turned to face Isaac. "_Boy stuff_? Man, with an excuse that bad, something's definetly up."

Isaac looked up the path, making sure that Jenna was out of earshot. "Garet, this is going to sound strange, but did those strangers seem...familiar to you in any way?"

Garet snorted. "Yeah, like I hang out with people like them on a regular basis."

"I'm serious Garet." Like Isaac before him, he cast a look up the path, making sure that Jenna was out of earshot. He came to the same conclusion that it was safe to talk.

"To tell you the truth I did," he said softly. "Those two strangers, they did seem familiar. No idea why though."

Isaac nodded, glad that he wasn't the only one who had these kind of misgivings. "Me too. It's strange, but they reminded me of the storm three years ago."

Garet's face darkened. "Do you think we should tell Jenna?"

"No, we don't want her thinking we're paranoid."

Garet sighed. "I guess you're right. But what do we do in the meantime?"

"Probably best to do nothing for now." Isaac started continuing up the path to Kraden's, with Garet following "Still, they did mention something about Kraden. Perhaps he can help shed light on this."

**A/N**

_Ok, that's that chapter done (obviously). I know it seems like an odd place to cut off, but I felt that it had dragged on too long. Given the length of the next chapter, one may understand._


	5. Adepts and Strangers

**Golden Sun: The Broken Seal**

**Chapter 4: Adepts and Strangers**

Head to toe, Kraden was the spitting image of a wise scholar who spent his time either increasing his own knowlage (or at least trying to) or spreading his knowlage to others. A grey, unkempt beard, a tuft of equally grey, unkempt hair, rimless spectacles and dirty, brown robes that probably didn't get washed as often as they should. Although an outsider and the only resident of the town who was not an adept, Kraden was well respected by the elders of Vale, given his knowlage of alchemy and psyenergy. Alternatively, little kids thought of him as some kind of old geyser and was often the subject of numerous jokes and insults. Still, for the most part, Kraden was a welcome citizen.

Being a scholar, Kraden was pretty much a thinker. Similar to Isaac and Felix in a way. However, unlike them, his train of thought was often on a winding track, jumping from one subject to the next-what he'd say in his next meeting with the elders, what his next lesson to Isaac, Garet and Jenna would encompass, whether he had enough ingredients for his next alchemaic experiment, what that experiment would actually test... At this point in time however, his train of thought was on a very straight track, always leading to the roadblock of a lack of answers. Namely, that roadblock represented the mystery of the two adepts that had visited him only recently. Well, they hadn't actually stated that they were adepts, but even Kraden, a regular Joe when it came to psyenergy, could feel their brimming power.

"But just who exactly were they?" he wondered, pacing back and forth outside his cottage. "They already know too much about Sol Sanctum...well, that;s assuming that they weren't making it up of course. But why would they do that?" Kraden continued pacing. Those two travellers, they'd made many claims about the Sanctum-its history, its interior, its secrets, its residents..."If what they said was true, about an inner sanctum, about the Seal of Sages," he wondered. "But these are things that even the elders of Vale don't know, that no-one knows..."

Clearly the roadblock wasn't going to be cleared anytime soon. It wasn't only about the sanctum's features that they talked about, they showed a remarkable knowlage of Weyard's history. They were in the Fourth Age of the world now. The Third Age, then called the Golden Age of Man, now referred to as the Lost Age, was mainly legend. All anyone really knew for ceartin was that at the end of it alchemy had been sealed. The First and Second Ages, well, nothing but myths existed from those times. But still, the two strangers' historical knowlage was incredible, almost as if they were dircet decendents of those of the Third Age, like they still preserved their history directly. "But that's impossible," mused Kraden. "The clans have died out, civilisations have fallen..." He paused, dreaming of such a glorious age that had been lost.

"But that wasn't all they said," he thought, the train restarting. "What was that they mentioned about the elements? Earth, water, fire and wind...they plan to set them into motion? Well, they did mention the lighthouses, even gave vague references to their location. Are they the key? Can the seal be broken? No surely not, that's far too dangerous! But still..." Kraden went back to pacing silently, vocally and mentally. "But could the Elemental Stars really be the items required? I knew that they had a strong basis for psyenergy, but then again..." He drifted off once more. "None of this makes sense," he sighed inwardly. "But how could it? They spoke of things that even I, as a trained alchemy sage do not know..." He ended that last thought with a bit of resentment. Someone had actually turned out to have greater knowlage then him! And they were outsiders of Vale of all people! Sure, he was too, but still-...

"Kraden! Hey Kraden!" Kraden snapped back into reality as he saw Isaac heading towards him, closely followed by Jenna and Garet. Kraden tried to compose himself into his usual persona-wise, intelligent and perhaps arrogant, although that was probably an over-exageration. Having such capable 'students' saw to that.

"Oh, hello Isaac," he smiled. "You're running a bit late today."

"Well it's not as if we could help it!" exclaimed Jenna. "I mean, it's not as if we asked strangers to slow us down due to their own unfounded suspicions!"

"What, they're still out there?" asked Kraden. "They ceartinly are persistant..."

"Yeah, and damn annoying," muttered Garet. "But anyway, Saturos and Menardi were their names, right?

"Yes, that's true," sighed Kraden. "I hope they didn't give you a hard time."

Isaac shook his head. "No, we're ok," he said. "Although slightly puzzled."

"Really? And why's that?" asked Kraden.

"They seemed to want something from you," explained Jenna. "Although those pricks were being awfully cryptic about it."

"Yeah, why can't people get straight to the point?" asked Garet.

"Because we're not all like you," remarked Isaac sarcasticly. "But seriously Kraden, they seemed to want your help, something to do with Sol Sanctum and lighthouses. Also mentioned something about stars." Isaac reflected upon the conversation. They had seemed to have implied that Kraden had a similar aim to them, but he doubted that there was any iron in their words. Just looking at them, one could tell that they were meglomaniacal, born liars and not afraid to deal death. "Like three years ago seemingly," thought Isaac bitterly.

Kraden stroked his beard. "Yes, that does seem to match what they told me," he said slowly. "It does seem to be the case that they wanted my help on something."

"_Seems_ to be?" asked Jenna skepticly.

"You don't seem too ceartin of yourself," pointed out Garet.

Kraden chuckled. "Well as you said before, they _were_ rather cryptic. Still, they did make frequent reference to Sol Sanctum, almost if they'd seen it with their own eyes." He took on a more serious tone. "Isn't that strange?"

Garet and Jenna looked at each other, not so sure what was exactly so strange. Kraden sighed; "Isaac?"

"Yeah, it is weird," the Venus adept commented slowly. I mean, firstly, don't you have to be an adept to gain access to Sol Sanctum?"

"Yeah that's right," commented Jenna, remembering history lessons that she'd managed to stay awake through. "Saturos and Menardi said the same thing."

"Not only that," continued Kraden. "The elders keep a tight watch on the sanctum. It's extremely unlikely that they'd allow outsiders in, even if they were adepts. I've only been in once or twice and the elders always kept a close eye on me."

"Is that why you need us?" wondered Isaac, remembering the prior conversation of Saturos and Menardi. "No surely not, Kraden's no thief...unlike some others I could name," he thought, slowly coming to a conclusion.

Garet beat him to it; "If they did enter Sol Sanctum without the elders knowing then they might be thieves!" he exclaimed, clenching his fist.

"I hate to admit it Garet but you're right!" responded Jenna. "Come on, we better go tell the elders!" She and Garet started to head off.

"Wait!" exclaimed Kraden. Garet and Jenna stopped and turned to face him; "There are thieves in our midst and you want us to _wait_?"

"Yes, we don't know for ceartin that they're thieves," explained Kraden. Garet opened his mouth to object but Kraden quickly continued; "They were rather vague in what they told me, and we don't know exactly how accurate their accounts are."

"He's right," sighed Isaac. "All we have is circumstantial evidence. You know what the elders are like, they wouldn't take that as sufficent proof."

Jenna sghed. "You're right. But still, we have to do something."

"True," agreed Kraden. "And it's really not that difficult. All we have to do is go into Sol Sanctum ourselves and confirm it."

"What?" spluttered Garet. "Isn't that impossible?"

"Why would it be?" asked Kraden simply. "Just because entering the sanctum without good reason is forbidden?"

"Well, yeah..." said Isaac awkwardly. "I mean, the elders keep watch on it closely. And would we even be able to enter?"

"You're adepts," stated Kraden. "I don't see any reason why you wouldn't be able to gain entry."

Jenna's eyes were shining with delight and Garet was quickly warming to the idea. "You know, this could work out after all," he said to Isaac excitedly.

"I don't know..."

"Come on, we'll be fine as long as no-one sees us."

Isaac wasn't so sure about that. What if we trip the switch like they did?" he thought. "Garet's already seemingly forgotten about it." He looked to Jenna for support, but she was doing that coy smile she often employed when trying to get Isaac or Garet (usually Isaac) to do something they weren't too keen on. It had the usual effect..."Sure, we may as well do it," said Isaac weakly.

"Then it's settled then," exclaimed Kraden, clapping his hands together. "Sorry about the prac, but I think this will suffice."

"Oh don't worry," remarked Jenna. "Garet was going to fail anyway."

"You could be a little more subtle you know," he muttered.

Kraden snapped his fingers. "Wait out here, I just need to get something," he said before heading inside his cottage.

"What do you think he's getting?" asked Jenna.

"Well whatever it is it better not be the transcript of _another_ surprise test," remarked Isaac, remembering the awful shock that had acompnied him last lesson."

"Yeah, the feeling's mutual," responded Garet.

"Well, if it is Garet, you're definetly not copying off me again," remarked Jenna.

"I wasn't copying, I was just making sure you had the right answers."

Isaac grinned; "Man, and I thought I was the hopeless liar." Garet turned to him, seemingly getting the message. "Well, at least he hasn't completely forgotten about our previous conversation," thought Isaac. "Don't want to repeat the same mistakes as those two probably did." As they waited for Kraden, Isaac wondered what they were doing right now."

**XXX**

Vale was a tight knit community. Almost everyone knew each other. No millitary guard was required to keep the peace, because there was simply nothing threatening it. Sure, there might be the occasional disagreement, even the odd drunken brawl, but no harm was ever meant, and the answer was usually the likes of "forgive and forget" or "kiss and make up". Such was this type of town. Suspicion and agression were frowned upon.

If anyone in the town had been slightly suspicious of one of their own, one of the top contenders would have to be Herbert; the large, bald, walrus moustached man that ran the only inn situated in Vale. If anyone had truely thought about the factors, they would have been amazed that the innkeeper was able to stay in buisness. Sure, people may have ocassionly came for the food or grog (the later especially) but the tavern was usually the prefered point of call. Sure, he might get the occassional traveler, but Vale was secluded up against a mountain range. It wasn't on the way to anywhere. A tourist or trader might come along occassionlly, but the traveller would often leave quickly finding that there wasn't much of interest and the trader would make a quick bargin, hopefully some profit and then leave.

If one had tallied up the inn's total yearly earnings when compared to the cost of maintaining it, they would have realised that, by all logic, Herbert should have gone out of buisness long ago. He'd realised the same thing too. It looked like he was going to be ruined. Sure, Vale's people treated each other like family, but he didn't want to be reduced to a state of utter dependency. It looked like that was going to be the case though, that nothing could solve his financial troubles...and that was then _they_ came.

It had seemed simple enough. Money regularly passed on in exchange for any interesting tibits of information concerning psyenergy development. Basiccly, that meant him doing nothing. Adepts were regular in Vale, but never went above the norm. Of course, that was what he had thought up until the time of the storm three years ago...

**Three Years Ago**

_It was well past midnight. Herbert sat at one of his inn's tables, pouring himself a glass of whiskey. About half a month had passed since that dreadful storm had struck. Jenna and Isaac had finally been left alone by visiting well wishers and even Garet had been forced to head home. As he passed by their door, Herbert could hear Jenna sobbing silently, and the second, more restrained sound suggested that Isaac was close to following suit. Well, he was perfectly willing to take her in. Garcia had been a close friend. It was the least that he could do._

_He was about to start on his second glass when the door opened. Herbert saw that what looked like a traveller had entered-long green cloak, a rapier sheathed in his belt, long dirty brown hair some other kind of mechanism on the other side that Herbert had never seen before. It had a curved grip with some kind of barrel portruding from it, but Herbert couldn't identify it. Well regardless, he quickly got up and stood behind the counter. "Welcome to my inn," he said, going into usual rhetroic. "It's seven coins for-..."_

_"Can the formalities Herbert," stated the traveller simply._

_"Sorry sir I'm just being...wait a minute, how did you know my name?" By this time the traveller had reached the counter and procured a small piece of parchment drawn on it. Herbert stared at the symbol that he'd grown to hate and fear. "Oh, I see, you're one of them," he said slowly._

_The traveller nodded. "Yes, that would be so." He took out a small bag of coins and put it on the counter; "Usual payment Herbert."_

_Herbert scooped it up as the stranger put on some lose coins; "I'll also have a bottle of wine."_

_"Any particular kind?"_

_"Surprise me." Wanting to give a good impression, Herbert went to the wine rack and took out one of his oldest bottles, handing it over.The stranger poured himself a glass, sniffed it and sipped. "Good stuff," he said eventualy. Herbert let out a sigh of relief._

_"Alright then, down to buisness," the traveller said. "Herbert, I believe that you have something to report."_

_"Do I? We have had an unusually fierce storm lately but-..."_

_"I'm referring to the girl in your care."_

_Herbert swallowed; "Jenna? What would you want with her?"_

_"We believe that she, along with her two male friends, shows signs of psygenetic potential."_

_"So?"_

_"So, it means that it must be contained, or at least a failsafe installed."_

_Herbert was becoming more fearful at this man's motivations. "They're just children, what do you want me to do?" In respnse, the man gave him a parchment or instructions along with a small bag, the same size as the bag of coins he'd given him previously. Herbert's face grew pale; "This seems insane," he breathed._

_"All nesecary of course."_

_Herbert wasn't so sure. Could he really do this? His contact was becoming impatient; "Look," he said exasperatedly. "This won't harm her in any way. We've already gauged them. Jenna, Felix, Garet and Isaac, they all show great promise as adepts. However, with the current state of alchemy and the possibility of its return being too dangerous, its nesecary to contain these things."_

_"But why only Jenna?" Herbert asked. Garcia was a good friend, could he really do this to his daughter?_

_"Because at this point in time, she seems to be the only real threat. Perhaps Felix was too, but he's dead and gone. As a likely fire adept I would have thought that Garet would be of a similar calibre, but, well, let's just say that his luminosity is diminished. And as for Isaac, he's an unknown factor. We don't do these things unless we're sure."_

_Herbert shook his head; "You got something against psyenergy?"_

_"No, but with alchemy sealed, it's too dangerous to be weilded with great skill. If too much residue builds up..."_

_"What?"_

_"It's not nesecary for you to know such things. Anyway, it doesn't matter. We only have to hold out for only a few more generations. After that, Weyard's safety will be assured."_

_"Damn it man, why are you being so cryptic?"_

_The traveller stared at him. "Herbert, it's sometimes nesecary for the past to be forgotten for life to continue." He took on a softer tone. "Look, I have a son, I understand your guilt about doing this, but I assure you that nothing ill will happen." The traveller finished his wine and stood up. "We'll be monitoring you Herbert, so unless you want to have your payments stop, I suggest you carry this out." Herbert reluctantly nodded. The traveller walked out of the door. "By the way, what's your name?" he asked._

_The traveller considered the question. "Hans," he said eventually. And with that, he walked out._

**XXXX**

The one named Hans had paid a total of five visits over the past three years, bringing payment each time. Herbert confirmed that he'd been following his instructions, but they never touched on the subject much. Hans was a pleasent change from previous contacts-he was pleasent and obviously a caring person. Herbert learnt that his son, Pavel, was now in his early twenties, and looked set to follow in his footsteps. Exactly what those footsteps were, Herbert didn't know, but he tried not to think about it much. The payment was really all that mattered.

As Herbert washed a beer glass, he considered that with if his current luck was a sign of things to come, he may not need the payment after all. Today, he'd actually been frequented by four travellers, who were currently sitting around a table. They hadn't actually booked a room yet, and had ordered nothing but water, but he guessed that one thing would lead into another. He glanced at them again as they softly conversed-they ceartinly were an odd crew. The only woman and what appeared to be the leader didn't appear to be wholly human-odd pigmentation, slight scaly skin. They also took weapons with them, the male a longsword and the woman a scythe. There was another male in the bunch-long azure hair, along with generating a feeling of detatched indifference. Two knives in scabberds were slung in his belt. The fourth was wearing some kind of mask and hadn't taken it off since he'd arrieved. A sheathed broardsword was tucked in his belt.

It was only the sound of the door opening that tore Herbert's attention away from them. He saw a traveller standing at the doorway. At first Herbert thought that Hans had come again, but realised that this couldn't be the case. He was much younger for starters. His brown hair stuck around in a tuff around his head. His travelling cloak was a lighter green, almost teal. Instead of a single rapier he had two shortswords sheathed in his belt, one on each side. He paused in his stride as he glanced at the group of strangers sitting at the table in the corner. His gaze narrowed as he reached for something at the back of his belt, something that his cloak hid. However, he seemed to decide against it, going back to walking up to the counter.

Herbert wasn't so sure if this man was in league with Hans, so he went into his usual rhetroic; "Welcome to my inn, it costs-..."

"Quiet," stated the man simply. He drew out the symbol, the same one that Hans always did. It showed a picture of a globe with a lightning bolt striking from above.

"I see," said Herbert. "You're one of them?"

"Yes, here's your money," said the man bluntly. "I also expect your report."

"Can't you see this is a bad time?" asked Herbert, gesturing towards his visitors.

The man glanced at them, his face narrowing again. "I see what you mean. "Very well, meet me by the cave tonight."

Herbert nodded as the man turned and started to walk out. "Wait," he asked. "What happened to Hans?"

"Dead," came the simple response.

"Oh, um, sorry about that."

"Don't worry about it."

" Well may I at least ask what your name is?"

"My name doesn't matter." By this time, the stranger had walked out the door. Sighing, Herbert went back to cleaning glasses.

**XXXX**

"Really Saturos, I think you're exagerating the effects of alchohol," Menardi commented, sullenly sipping her water.

"Menardi, alchohol dilutes the senses. We'll need to be at our best for Sol Sanctum," responded Saturos, sipping the water and savouring it. It was so nice to be able to drink water without having to obtain it from ice or snow.

"Look Saturos, it's going to be a long journey and we won't have much time to relax. Come on, let's enjoy ourselves while we can," Menardi whined.

"Menardi, you're starting to sound like your sister," snarled Saturos. "Hold your tounge and drink your water, you're going to need it." Sighing, Menardi obliged.

The azure hair man grinned faintly, a change from his usual emotionally detatched self. "You should savour it Menardi, water's an important substance after all."

"Shut up Alex, you're only saying that because you're a water adept," she snapped. The one named Alex simply shrugged and went back to his distant self.

"Alright," said the masked man. "What's your plan of action?"

"Right now, it's to wait," responded Saturos, taking another sip. "Delightful. You Valeans sure know how to utilise that stream well."

"What's it like being back home?" asked Menardi snidely.

"It would be better without this mask on," muttered the man. Still, he accepted that he had to wear it. He knew that it was nesecary to do so until alchemy was returned. After that, he could go back to his former life.

"So what are the details of your plan exactly?" asked Alex calmly. Saturos told him about his conversation with Kraden and the three teenage adepts. "We'll wait near the healers' sanctum for them to go up," Saturos concluded. "Probably best to do it seperatly, going together would arouse too much attention."

"Works for me," said Alex simply.

The masked man was clearly worried; "What about Kraden and the kids?" he asked.

"They'll be alright as long as they co-operate," stated Saturos. "There's no reason to harm them unnesicarily, right Menardi? Menardi?"

Saturos turned and found that that Menardi had gone up to the counter. "Menardi get back here! I said no alchohol!"

"Actually, I was getting something to eat."

"Oh. Carry on then."

**XXXX**

It had taken ten to fifteen minutes but Kraden had finally emerged from his cottage with his satchel, much to the relief of Isaac, Garet and Jenna. The time taken didn't come as much of a surprise-the interior of Kraden's house was littered with numerous books, parchments and ingredients. You practicly had to be a contronist to walk through without stepping on anything.

"Sorry I'm late," he said to all of them.

"That's ok," answered Jenna. "We only had to wait_ fifteen minutes_."

"Don't worry about it," reassured Isaac. "So what did you get?"

"Well, we're going into Sol Sanctum, so I've got my notebooks. Also, here's your staff Jenna."

Jenna took the staff that Kraden gave to her. It helped channel her fire powers. It also served her well whenever she wanted to hit Garet for being an idiot, something that occured often.

"Well, that's it," said Kraden. "Anyway, let's go."

"Gladly," commented Garet. He was looking forward to seeing what Sol Sanctum had to offer.

**XXXX**

The traveller walked up beside the river on Vale's upper slopes. He sighed-Vale truely was a beautiful town, it was no wonder that Hans enjoyed coming here so often. He sat by the stream, looking at his reflection-straight faced, straight minded. Desirable characteristics. He found his mind drifting towards the memory of those visitors in the inn, especially Saturos and Menardi. No doubt the other two were co-operating with them. He sighed, wondering if he should have actually tried to eliminate them then and there. He had a clean shot after all. Still, they were powerful adepts and warriors-there was no guarantee that even projectile weaponry could suffice.

He heard footsteps coming his way and looked to the scource. He quickly found it, it was those same adepts that he'd seen earlier-Isaac, Jenna and Garet were their names he remembered. He glanced at Jenna, who was engaging in arguing with Garet over some absurd point. "Glad to see the supression didn't have any ill effects," he thought.

He also noticed an old man walking with them, keeping up surprisingly well. "Wait a minute, could that actually be Kraden?" he wondered. He took a good look at the scholar; sure, he was much older, but the facial features were there, the same tuff of hair. "It makes sense," he thought. "Taken by that bastard mayor and sent to Vale." Still, what did it matter? Kraden had been taken away, but still managed to contribute to their order. With the adepts passing on, he went back to looking into the stream.

**XXXX**

Isaac had managed to calm Garet and Jenna down by the time they neared the elders' sanctum-a small stone dwelling where they conducted meetings and gave healing to whoever needed it. They continued walking past as they came to the path that led up to Mt. Aleph. One of the elders was standing guard-had to be in his late forties, with grey hair and signs of a beard coming. "Ah, hello," he said to them, upon seeing the nearing adepts. "Off for another lesson with Kraden?"

"Er, yes," answered Isaac awkwardly, hoping that he wouldn't see past his lie.

"You will keep within the accepted areas won't you?" he asked Kraden.

"Oh yes, we won't be going anywhere near Sol Sanctum," answered the scholar.

"Very well. Don't fall or anything." With that , they started walking up the path.

"What kind of advice is that?" asked Garet. "Seriously, what are the chances of us falling?"

"In your case Garet, very high chances," responded Jenna. Garet started muttering something as Jenna and Isaac grinned at each other. For better or worse, they were going up, and in.

**A/N**

_Whew, I think this is almost as long as the prolouge. Given its length, I guess you can understand why I cut off when I did. Anyway, if you have read this far, could you please review? I don't want to be a beggar, but the lack of them so far hasn't been encouraging._


	6. Echoes of the Past

Chapter Five: Echoes of the Past

Marks of respect can come in many guises, some of which may seem appropriate to some and strange to others. A mark of respect may come from bowing to a great leader, or kissing a lady's hand. On the other end of the spectrum, respect may only be shown through the rigour of battle, coming to the conclusion that there is an individual that has skills to match your calibre.

Sometimes, respect is not fully demonstrated. It can be a wordless thing, unspoken, unexpressed...but with the lack of direct expression, personal feelings tend to be more intense. Perhaps inapropriatly, this kind of respect is usually given to the deceased. It is only in death that the full impact of one's life can be made clear. With no more life, an individual can no longer make a direct impact on the world, so one is free to assess their actons, free of the nagging thought that later actions may come into contact with past ones, changing one's view of an individual.

Vale had an example of unspoken respect. To outsiders, it might have seemed baffeling, to think that a partially destroyed house would invoke such a feeling of loss. Still, outsiders hadn't lived through the storm that had occured three years ago, the storm that had taken the lives of Kyle,Felix and his parents. No bodies had ever been recovered, so it felt wrong to errect simple graves. So the house had become a memorial to the deceased, its walls surrounded by flowers, along with candles in the initial stages. Any stranger who passed would often remark on what a nice flower garden there was. Any citizen of Vale would know to keep their mouth shut and pray for the well being of the deceased in whatever afterlife that existed. Assuming there was one of course. Religeon had never made a major impact on Vale.

Thomas tended to frequent the site more often than others. Like Garet and Isaac, he too felt responsible for the consequences of the storm. Even now, on the rare occasions that he ran into Jenna or Isaac, he could never look them directly in the eye. While no-one held him responsible, the guilt of his self percieved failure had never left him over the last three years. After all, wasn't he the one that Felix had been relying upon? Hadn't Jenna, Isaac and Garet gone looking for someone who could help? Well, he'd been that someone they had relied on and look what happened after that! Jenna's family and Isaac's father taken from their lives in a matter of seconds. Sol damn it, if only he hadn't been so confident, so arrogant to think that his skills in psyenergy could get Felix out of the river without any problems!

Today was one of those days where Thomas was heading over to pay his respects. No flowers this time, he'd come to feel that they were just an excuse to express apology, a material item to save a person from having to go to the bother of eulogising. Not that he was the most eloquent talker in the world, but his intentions were pure and sincere, even if he didn't always believe that. His only consolation as he hobbled over was that karma had punished him suitibly for his failure. His twisted ankle had never fully healed, so he had to use a walking stick for support. He welcome the burden, but to his credit, not in the sense of self pity. He hobbled over the rope bridge, ready to head down the steps that led to the destroyed house...the same thing that he had done three years ago.

**XXX**

"Damit, how much furthur do we have to go?" exclaimed Garet, currently in the process of walking up the path of Mt. Aleph that led to Sol Sanctum.

"Garet, it's the tallest mountain in Angara, what do you expect?" replied Jenna, who was actually having similar thoughts.

Isaac was at the head of the group, heading briskly upward. He glanced back down, seeing Vale below. Garet and Jenna were coping well, probably due to friendly competition. Or perhaps unfriendly, given that they were now shouting at the top of their voices over some point of geography, probably gradient.

"Isaac, I'm right aren't I?" exclaimed Garet. "Gradient is run over rise."

"That's not true!" exclaimed Jenna. "It's rise over run!"

"And how would you know?"

"Because unlike you, I'm able to pay attention in lessons!"

"Bookworm."

"Garet, Jenna's right," sighed Isaac, hoping that they'd both shut up. The thin air wasn't making things easy for him and having to listen to Garet and Jenna arguing constantly wasn't making things any easier. No such luck.

"See? I'm right!"

"At least according to Isaac."

"Face it Garet, you were wrong."

"Make me."

"Oh by the gods..." Isaac moaned. He turned his head around again, wondering how Kraden, who was at the back of the group, was taking this. If he was bothered by his students arguing like little children he didn't show it. His features instead indicated a feeling of anticipation. Given that they were about to enter Sol Sanctum (hopefully), Isaac could understand that. Still, he didn't seem to show any of the unease that Isaac was feeling. "But why should he?" Isaac wondered. "What if Saturos and Menardi were correct, in that he wants to use us?"

Still having his neck turned, looking past the now sullen Garet and smug Jenna, Isaac saw to his relief that Kraden was still keeping up with them. Isaac had at first thought that an old man like Kraden would have trouble ascending a mountain, asking for plenty of rests, but so far he hadn't shown any kind of exertion that went beyond their own. It truely was a mystery at how energetic he was. Not that Isaac had ever asked-he didn't need a lecture from Kraden as to 'how he was back in his day.'

Isaac turned his neck back and saw that the previously sullen Garet now had a look of relief on his face; "What's with the look?" Isaac asked him.

"What do you think?" he exclaimed, pointing forward. Following his lead, Isaac faced ahead and experienced the same type of relief that Garet did-the entrance to Sol Sanctum was in sight.

**XXX**

Thomas managed to rise from his kneeling position.His short eulogy had been delivered, he'd eased his guility conscience in the short term. Not that he considered the ritual a chore, he just wished that there was something more that he could do. But-

"That was quite stirring." The voice came from behind. Thomas spun around (at least spun in terms of a cripple) and saw the scource of the voice. A young man in his early twenties was there, a tuff of brown hair, hard facial features, two sheathed shortswords and a light green traveller's cloak.

"I must say I'm impressed. You ceartinly don't look like the melencholy type."

"Damn travellers," thought Thomas. "They could never understand what we people of Vale had to go through." He stared the traveller directly in the eye; "You ceartinly have a lot of nerve, evesdropping like that!"

"I meant no harm," reassured the traveller, giving a small bow. "I was simply passing through and heard you uttering softly to yourself. Sounded quite interesting."

"Yeah, well, the interest's gone now!" shouted Thomas, not wanting to go into any explanations. "Now beat it! I don't have time to talk to the likes of you!"

The traveller's previously pleasent demour went stony and cold; "Watch your words man, unless you want to experience the unpleasent surprise of discovering that you can't utter any more."

"Is that a threat?" snarled Thomas, taking a tottering step forward.

"It is if you choose to inerperet my words that way. Not that I care. What reaction could you muster that would make me regret uttering them?"

"See for yourself!" Thomas lunged forward, swinging his walking stick. However, before it even came close into making contact, his ankle gave way, sending him back onto the ground.

The stranger crouched down beside him; "That ankle still giving you problems?"

"How would you know about that?" asked Thomas, struggling to get up.

"You have a walking stick and fell as soon as you stopped using it. It's kinda obvious."

"Indeed?" Thomas fully rose, not fully believing the traveller. He seemed to have known from the start that his ankle was disabled rather than any observation. And hadn't he said that it was** still** giving him problems? Well, best to keep quiet for now. The traveller had two shortswords and he had a flimsy cane. He didn't like his chances.

"So, what are you going to do now?" asked the traveller, seeing that Thomas was back on his own three feet.

"I'm a hobbling cripple. Not much."

The traveller sighed. "Yes, I guess that's true at this point in time." He started to grin; "but how would you like to change that?"

**XXX**

Garet never claimed to be a deep person. He did have that much modesty. He never bothered sharing sentiments with Kay at how beautiful her flowers were (when he wasn't crushing them that is). He had never bothered disagreeing with Felix as to how one work of literature was far more moving and insightful. He never bothered trying to express a great deal of interest when Kraden was giving a lecture on any subject, apart from how to use psyenergy. And he never tried thinking deeply in the same way that Isaac did. Isaac was a thinker. Garet acted on instinct.

In fact, there was really only one phase of his life that he could recall when he truely felt that his inner emotions were active. That was during the aftermath of the storm three years ago, when he saw the crushing impact that it had on Jenna and Isaac, given how they'd both suffered at the personal level. Garet was unable to relate this to any personal experience, but he found that he was able to express deep sympathy, and it wasn't forced either. More of it seemed to go to Jenna, but he reasoned that that was due to her experience a far deeper blow. Isaac still had his mother, while Jenna had lost her entire family. He probably wasn't aware of the fact that that was also to do with...other emotions.

Now, three years after that phase, standing in front of the entrance to Sol Sanctum, Garet was experiencing a similar depth of emotion. Not of sympathy, but of awe. The entrance to the sanctum, carved into the side of the mountain, azure stepping stones, a silver emblem that featured a globe, with a fireball, stone, hurricane and water drop decending from the north, statues of robed maidens, a door and arch carved right into solid rock. It seemed so...majestic somehow. Undestandable, the only architecture in Vale that wasn't made out of wood was the elders' sanctum. In his younger days his parents had taken him and Kay to look at it-part of cultural education. Not that he and Kay payed much attention at that age. They spent their time arguing with each other.

It was lucky for Garet that his friends weren't looking at him at that point, as his mouth was hanging wide open. That was due to the fact that Isaac and Jenna were experiencing awe as well, although their level of 'wowness' went much deeper.

"This...is amazing," breathed Jenna, standing close to Isaac nodding in agreement (a little too close some might say). Not that Isaac noticed. Like Jenna, he was focused wholly on the sanctum's entrance. He'd actually never been up here before. When people climbed Mt. Aleph, they were only allowed to go along the hiking path, the route that they'd previously set their sights on before Saturos and Menardi showed up. The entrance usually had an elder guarding it, so they had to wait for an hour for him to start heading down, ready to alternate the watch. They probably had awhile for his replacement to show up, but it wouldn't be wise to waste time.

"Um, not meaning to interupt, but could we get moving again?" All adept eyes turned to Kraden, who'd interupted their 'awe process.'

"Come on Kraden, cut us some slack," protested Garet.

"What, suddenly you're apreciative of architecture?" asked Jenna sarcasticly.

"Can it."

Kraden smiled. "I'm glad that you're showing an interest in the sanctum's exterior, but we still have to enter it."

"To verify Saturos and Menardi's story?" asked Isaac. "And perhaps other things?" he thought.

"Yes. We must enter the sanctum, plumb its depths and..." Kraden trailed off, stumped at how to sound dramatic.

"Smooth," commented Garet. He walked up one of the staircases and stood in front of the door. Two slots were present, with a handle inside each of them. Garet stuck his hands in and tried turning them. No effect.

"Honestly Garet, don't you even know how to open a door?" exclaimed Jenna.

"It's not me, it's stuck or something."

"Sure."

Kraden went into his 'thinking pose.' "Garet may not entirely be the one at fault here," he said eventually. "Remember, only adepts can open the doors of the sanctum."

"So? Garet's an adept," pointed out Isaac.

"True, but there's probably more to it than that. When I watched the elders open the doors, they appeared to concentrate intensely. I'm guessing that psyenergy has to be channelled to an extent. Either way, concentration is required."

"Well if concentration is required we're wasting our time letting Garet do it," remarked Jenna snidely.

"Jenna, you shouldn't be so blunt," Isaac pointed out.

"Why? It's true."

Garet's face darkened. "Doubt me all you want, I'll still get this door open." To prove his point, he grasped the handles, concentrated his psyenergy and began to turn. Sweat piled up, his breathing became heavy and the handles turned, but the door still wasn't moving. Eventually he drew off, his point unproven. "It's no good, I can't move it," he gasped.

"That doesn't come as much of a surprise," murmured Jenna. She started walking forward. "Stand back guys, this requires a woman's touch."

"I thought you were a tomboy," pointed out Isaac.

"I can change."

"Please don't do that," thought Isaac as he watched her walk to the door. "I think that you're fine the way you are."

**XXX**

"This is insane, what makes you think I should believe you?" exclaimed Thomas, sickened at such a false promise.

"Well if you don't believe me then why are you still here?" the stranger pointed out. Thomas couldn't answer that question.

"I'll tell you why. You're hoping beyond hope that I'm not lying, that I can actually fix that leg of yours, that I'm not trying to make a quick coin."

Thomas remained silent, staring at the small vial of grey liquid. The liquid that the stranger claimed would mend his broken ankle. Could it be true? Hopefully.

"What are you charging for this?" he asked suspiciously.

"Nothing. It's free."

"Why the genirosity?" Thomas's suspicions weren't reduced.

The traveller smiled. "I'm simply sympathetic to your plight. Trying to save the lives of others and ending up failing and twisting your ankle in the process. Hardly an ideal chain of events."

"You don't have to rub it in," Thomas snarled.

"Rub what in? The fact that your ankle's busted or the fact that you failed to save those who perished in that storm?"

"Both." Thomas suddenly realised something; "Wait a minute, how do you know what happened that night?"

The stranger was now looking on grimly; "I have my ways."

"Were you there or something?" asked Thomas suspiciously. Anyone looking on during that storm, seeing such tradgedy unfold without helping clearly wasn't moral.

"No, but I heard about it from...someone else." The traveller looked pensive.

Thomas wanted to push the point but it was clear that the man didn't want to talk about it. Given the fact that he was heavilly armed and not hindered by any disabilities, he didn't want to vex him. Especially since he bore that vial of liquid that he claimed would heal him.

The stranger was along the same lines; "Look, I don't have all the time in the world. Do you want this vial or don't you?"

Thomas considered the queston. His ankle was a grim reminder of his failure, but could he really wallow in self pity forever? Seemed kind of indulgent. And if his ankle _was _fixed, couldn't he therefore ensure that something like that never happened again? He came to a decision.

"Very well, I'll take your 'miracle cure,'" Thomas said eventually.

"Alright then, here you go," the traveller replied, handing over the vial. "I should warn you though, it tastes like crap and you may feel some nausea."

"I can bear with that," responded Thomas stoicly, unscrewing the lid. He sniffed the fluid, but couldn't catch a wiff of anything. That was probably a good sign. Still, he wasn't so keen on swigging it just yet.

"By the way, you never told me your name," commented Thomas to the stranger.

The man's face narrowed; "My name isn't important."

"Oh please, don't be so meladromatic!" exclaimed Thomas. "Everyone has a name."

"True," remarked the 'un-named one'. "Whether their name still has a bearing on their life is a different matter."

Thomas looked at him skepticly, but it wasn't getting him anywhere. "Fine," he sighed eventually. With that, he took gulped down the liquid. Thomas grimiced. It ceartinly was foul tasting. Almost...metallic.

Thomas wasn't sure if it was working but he thought he may as well thank his supposed benefactor. He went to such a thing, but suddenly he felt pain. Lots of pain. And it was spreading throughout his entire body. His mouth went to open in a way that would allow him to release the pain through screaming, but he couldn't do that either. He suddenly fell to the ground and started to convulse. His ankle was working, it twitched with the rest of his body. He eventually lost counciousness as his entire body went rigid.

And with all this going on, the traveller watched on stoicly. Regretable side effects, but it would get his ankle fixed. And who could miss up on a chance like this? Supression wasn't something that one did carelessly, but it seemed worth it. He grinned as he watched the body relax; "Another failsafe installed," he murmured with satisfaction. Unknowest to him, he wasn't the only one watching the uncouncious Valean. He didn't see the individual on the bridge...

**XXX**

"Argh! That's it! I give up!" Jenna, who'd failed to succesfully channel her psyenergy in a way that would have forced the sanctum to open, had failed like Garet before her.

"Not so smug now are you?" grinned Garet.

"Hey, I did better than you did."

"What? How can you even tell?"

Isaac and Kraden sighed simultaniously as Jenna and Garet began arguing _again_, expressing whatever hate-love relationship they possessed. The later seemed absent at this moment, but no doubt Garet would correct that problem at some point. "Isaac, would you like to try?" asked Kraden.

"Sure," he responded simply. Garet and Jenna fell silent, eager to see how Isaac would fare.

Isaac closed his hands around the handles and began the chanelling process. Almost imidiatly, he picked up a link, some kind of psyenergy conduit that he could focus on. Not that the task was easy, he had to use an imense ammount of concentration to feel like he was making any progress. But slowly, but surely he did, the pulse of the psyenergy conduit increased. But the ammount of concentration he was having to put into this, it was excruciating! Slowly, but surely, the doors came closer to opening. The ammount of concentration that Isaac was exerting steadily increased. And just as the lock was finally broken...something snapped within his mind.

**Flashback, roughly 3000 years ago**

_The doors of Sol Sanctum had finally opened. Psyenergy was required of course but to the golden haired female wearing a white tunic that matched her silver eyes, that had never really been an issue._ _After all, she wasn't in the ranks of the sage elite for nothing. She snorted inwardly-what sage elite was left besides herself and the two others? The trials of their quest had seen to that. Clutching the four mithril bags and trying to ignore the sounds of battle that came from the village below, she started walking into the sanctum. It was time to end this war._

**Back to the Present**

"Hey Isaac? Isaac, are you ok?"

Isaac found himself coming back into focus. He was lying down on the ground, looking up at the worried faces of Garet, Jenna and Kraden.

"Ugh, yeah, what happened?" he asked groggilly.

"You got me," grinned Garet. "You opened the door and then you kind of...fainted."

Kraden looked thoughtful; "It's understandable really. The ammount of psyenergy and concentrated must have been too much for you." He took on the look of a proud grandfather; "Still, you should be proud. To have actually got the sanctum open with only three years of psyenergetic training, that's no small feat."

"Hey I could have got them open, I just chose not too," maintained Garet.

"Sure," remarked Jenna as she helped Isaac up. "You sure that you're ok?"

Isaac nodded as he rose to his feet, regaining his bearings. "Um, did I pass out or something?"

"Seemed like it," answered Jenna. "You got the door open and then... I don't know, you seemed to go into some kind of trance."

"Thinking too much, that's the problem," piped up Garet.

Isaac rubbed his head. He went into a trance? Well that was fitting, considering the image he just saw-the entrance to Sol Sanctum, a golden haired female that couldn't have been much older than he was. What was it? The past? The future? Something totally random? His headache wasn't providing any of the answers. What really disturbed him was the fact that he could hear all of that female's thoughts.

"Isaac, is something bothering you?" asked Jenna. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Maybe I have," thought Isaac. "Er, no, I'm fine," he maintained. He must have become a better liar, as Jenna seemed to take his word for it.

"Well, now that that's settled, shall we enter the sanctum?" asked an impatient Kraden. Isaac nodded. The mystery of the image would have to wait. He had a feeling that the interior of the sanctum would house mysteries of its own.

**XXX**

_I almost feel guilty in a way. The category of this story is fantasy/action/adventure, but so far we haven't had much action. It's probably been quite boring. Anyway, not trying to brag, but there is upcoming action inside the sanctum...and outside it (heh heh). Anyway, please R&R._


	7. Sanctum of the Sun God

**Golden Sun: The Broken Seal**

**Chapter 7: Sanctum of the Sun God**

Isaac followed Garet, Jenna and Kraden into the sanctum, closing the door behind him-no reason to give anyone the slip that they'd entered such sacred ground. The three adepts looked around the small room they were in. It wasn't that impressive. White stone with an archway on the other side of the chamber and the ground they were standing on seemed to be flattened mud. Torches were glowing dimly, presumably an automatic mechanism from opening the door. Hardly majestic.

"So this is Sol Sanctum," Garet commented eventually.

"Well obviously," responded Jenna.

"You two ought to show more respect," scolded Kraden. "Sol Sanctum is an important relic of the past. Few have set foot inside it. You should feel honoured."

"Still, they have got a point though," pointed out Isaac. "I mean, I did expect something more...grand than this."

"Yes, well, I felt the same way when I first entered," admitted Kraden. He clapped his hands together. "Anyway, enough rambling. We have the tale of some thieves' to verify." With that, he started to walk ahead.

Garet turned to look at Isaac; "I never thought I'd actually hear Kraden declare that he'd rambled enough." Isaac snorted in agreement.

"Come on guys, let's go," declared Jenna, who'd started to walk after Kraden. "Someone's got to keep an eye on that old man after all." Agreeing with that assessment, the two boys followed her.

**XXXX**

The traveller gave one last, almost guilty look at Thomas before he ascended the steps that led up to the area where Vale Cave was. He felt slightly sympathetic to the man, given how painful the process must have been (he would know), but when he woke up, he wouldn't remember any of it. Of course, he would wonder how his ankle had miracuously healed and anyone passing by would probably suspect foul play, but it was very unlikely that it would be traced back to him. "With any luck they'll jump to the conclusion that those two Proxian's did it," he thought bitterly. "They're perfectly willing to resort to foul play after all."

He finished ascending the steps and began the final leg of his journey to the cave. The ultimate reason that he'd come to Vale. It was originally thought in his order that the only key to sealing alchemy completely resided in Mt. Aleph, where only adepts could enter, and was therefore barred to him, or anyone else in his order for that matter. Sure, their ancestors ritually severing themselves from alchemy's influence probably seemed like a good idea at the time, but then finding out that the sanctum had been designed so that only adepts could enter must have been a bitter pill to swallow.

So instead of a quick solution to saving Weyard, they'd have to watch and wait over thousands of years. Viewing the steady decline of alchemy and psyenergy and giving a helping hand in that process whenever nesecary, watching for any threat that might result in the seal being broken. It was a scource of fustration that they couldn't enter the sanctum and cast the second seal, a seal that would guarantee Weyard's safety for eternity. Up until two months ago it looked like that their continuing role would only have to last a few more generations. After that, alchemy would be beyond the point of recovery and psyenergy would cease to exist. However, that view changed on that memorable day...

**Two Months Ago**

_The man sat at his desk, sipping wine, just like a ceartin someone who frequented Vale about twice a year, supposedly to check up on the community to see if there were any developments in psyenergy, pay the fat innkeeper and ensure that the supression of the girl's psyenergy continued. He snorted-why not just give her a vial and be done with it? Sure, there was no guarantee that she'd be able to survive such a thing, the general consensus was that you had to be in your twenties to emerge from the process without any ill effects. Still, it would save a lot of time and effort._

_He rubbed his arm, which still ached. It had been his twenty-third birthday only a few months ago, and the 'phase' had been completed. He shuddered. He'd had the luxary of being injected at the age of one and have the substance slowly spread through his body. Their ancestors, when the order was first founded had to go through the entire nullification process manually. Quite a few screams of pain had probably come from Mt. Aleph that night, roughly three thousand years ago._

_Someone knocked on the door. "Enter," he stated, enjoying another sip of the alchohol. The door opened and in walked Sara, a girl with raven hair that stretched down her back. She was only a few months his junior. She was wearing her usual teal tunic which matched her eyes, the same colour as his travelling cloak-which he never had the chance to use damit! His fustration was added to when he saw that she was carrying numerous scrolls._

_"Great," he sighed. "More translation."_

_"Look, just do it," she answered as she dumped them on his desk._

_"Why should I?" he asked. "I should be out there exploring the world, not stuck at some desk job, a mile below the Lamakan Desert!"_

_"Come on, you know how it works," she pointed out. "You're stuck here until Hans either dies or retires."_

_"Ugh, well why won't he hurry up with that? You've seen me in the training arena! I'm the best soldier that this order has!"_

_Sara sighed. "Look, I know that you're a good warrior, but you're also the best translator we have. Writing of the Third Age is hard to read after all." Looking at the runes inscribed on the parchment, and remembering past sessions, he had to agree with that assessment._

_"Fine," he sighed eventualy. Sara went to leave. "Wait, has there been any word from-...?"_

_"No Hans hasn't made contact with us since he left," she interupted. "Just be patient, he'll be back soon."_

_The man snorted; "Patient? We've been patient for three-thousand years!"_

_Sara sighed again; "I don't need another lecture on how we're wasting our lives."_

_"How can you be so complacent?" he exploded. "From cradle to grave, all we exist for is to ensure that alchemy doesn't return and prevent any great buildup of psyenergy residue!"_

_"Look, you know that we only have to hold out for only a few generations. After that our decendents are free to do what they want."_

_"Yes, but that still doesn't change the fact that we ourselves are still stuck here doing nothing!" With this, the man slumped back in his seat. "I want this to end," he whimpered. "I want our vigil to end, I want to actually live my life rather than honouring the Vow of Cain!"_

_Sara leant down to him so her eyes were level with his. "Do you resent our duty?" she asked softly. "Is everything so bad?"_

_The man stared into those teal eyes that he loved; "No, not everything is bad," he admitted. He grinned; "Some people make it more bearable."_

_Smiling, Sara gave him a small kiss on the forehead. 'Just do it ok. I've got stuff to do too you know." With that, she walked out. Realising that he couldn't enjoy her company right now, he turned his attention back to the scrolls. A small note was attached-standard procedure for many libraries scattered throughout the world. He read it;_

_**Scrolls recovered from Vault, believed to have been transported from Vale. Dated at roughly 3000 years. Found by Scholar Kraden in the year 2938 of the Fourth Age, in service to Tolbi, in which these scrolls will be stored, specificly in its library. Current status: Runes are of an ancient language, most likely the norm of the Third Age. No translation avaliable. Will be stored until furthur notice.**_

_The man snorted. Guess Tolbi's scholars didn't know about his skills. And as it turned out, Kraden had inadvertantly contributed to his order after all, apart from getting... Ugh, best not to think about that. It seemed that sometimes the world came full circle. Well, he and Hans did owe...oh right, he was thinking about the 'incident' again. With a sigh, he started translation of the scrolls. Perhaps something worthwhile would come out of these ones._

**Sol Sanctum, present day**

Sol Sanctum was becoming more impressive. The group of four was currently walking through a long corridor-blue marble tiles that reflected the light blue light from the lanterns that were hanging along the golden walls with golden arches. Only the sound of their footsteps could be heard as they walked along. The silence was strangley...perfect.

That same perfect silence was suddenly broken when Kraden clicked his fingers. "You know, I've just remembered something."

Jenna stopped dead in her tracks; "If you've left something in your cottage you'll have to bear with it, because I can assure you-..."

"No, no, I haven't forgotten anything," chuckled Kraden.

"That's a first," murmured Garet.

Kraden either didn't hear him or simply ignored the fire adept, given that he chose to carry on; "This was originally meant to be a prac, but given the current circumstances..."

"Basiccly we can't do it, given that we're inside Sol Sanctum," completed Isaac.

"Correct," answered Kraden.

"Great, so can we move on now?" asked Jenna, eager to explore the sanctum.

"Oh, we can continue moving," reassurred Kraden. "However, that still doesn't change the fact that you're missing out on a lesson."

"Oh dear, what a tradgedy," remarked Garet sarcasticly.

Giving an irritated glance at him, Kraden continued; "Although exploring Sol Sanctum may turn out to be an interesting experience, we'll still set about in having a lesson of sorts."

"Really? What on?" asked Jenna cautiously.

Kraden smiled to himself; "A lecture on history."

It is said that the echoes of the elicted groans never faded.

**Two Months ago, continued flashback**

_"This is amazing," the man breathed. "Simply amazing..."_

_It had seemed too good to be true, the information contained within the scrolls. Surely some fake that Tolbi had included, perhaps an error of translation. But he'd gone over and over the runes, cross refrenced them with all other scrolls and books he had that used the same system of writing and the content of the scrolls remained the same. Heck, he'd even gone through the slow and labourious process of dating it. Same conclusion as that of Tolbi-roughly 3000 years._

_It was all too much for him as he let out a yell of happiness-finally, finally they could achieve the means to enter Sol Sanctum, cast the second set of seals... He could finally start living his life! He let out a yell of happiness, followed by many smaller ones. It was at this point that the door burst open, courtesy of Sara._

_"What's going on, are you alright?" she exclaimed. The yells of delight had sounded like yells of pain._

_"Of course I am!" exclaimed her male counterpart. "How could I not be?" It was at this point that he threw his arms around her in what could only be described as a very...emotional embrace. Sara was a bit taken aback-not only was this completely random behaviour but she'd rarely, if ever seen him like this._

_"Um, as much as I enjoy you hugging me, is there actually a reason that you're particually happy?" she asked eventualy._

_Her friend drew off. "Er, right, sorry," he explained sheepishly, a blush coming to his cheeks. He walked over to the scrolls and showed them to her. "These scrolls," he said slowly. "Hold the key to ending our vigil."_

_"Really? You mean these scrolls magicly make alchemy recede permenantly?"_

_"No dumbass, these scrolls tell us how to do that!"_

_"Oh. Right." This time the blush was on Sara's cheeks._

_The man walked over. "There's a way to enter Sol Sanctum," he said slowly, a grin slowly coming to his face. "All one needs to do is travel to Vale, retrieve the key, as it is, enter the sanctum and cast the second set of seals." The grin had grown into a full grown smile._

_"You're...you're not bluffing?" asked Sara cautiously._

_"Why would I be?" he exclaimed, throwing his arms around her again. "Finally, our vigil can end and we can begin to actually begin to live our lives!"_

_Sara was now grinning coyly. "What?" asked her friend._

_"You...you said 'we'," she responded slowly._

_"Oh, er, really?" The man felt like kicking himself. So much for subtlety. Well, maybe it was time that he actually told-..._

_"Excuse me, am I interupting anything?"_

_Both pairs of eyes, eyes that had previously been very close to each other suddenly turned to the scource of the question. The answer was at the doorway, manifesting itself in Sclater, the head of their order. He was currently in his late eighties, had wispy white hair always wore a jumper of some shade of green or blue and was never seen without his half moon spectacles._

_"Oh, um, Sclater..." stammered Sara, drawing away from her male companion, trying to look more dignified. "How do we have the honor of gracing us with your presence?"_

_"There's no **we** in this girl," he responded curtly. "Don't you have more beds to make, more dishes to rinse?"_

_"Oh, yes. Sorry." Sara started to head out the door, casting one last look at her friend._

_That same friend turned to face Sclater, the stony edges of his face truely showing; "You ought to treat her with more respect you know."_

_"Think what you want. I didn't come here to discuss whatever ammority you might have."_

_Under normal circumstances the man might have set about arguing the point, especially since the old man was boardering on forcing him to reveal true emotions. Sclater was, in a word, annoying. Given that he was the head of their order and perhaps their most learned sage, he excluded an air of arrogance in both presence and voice. However, that seemed kind of diminished at this point. Almost...as if something had saddened him._

_"Sclater...did something happen?"_

_The old man nodded grimly, handing over a two letters._

_"What are these?"_

_Sclater sighed; "One's a letter which informs you of the details of your new position. The other is a letter of my condolences."_

_All colour drained from the man's face. A new position? Either he'd been promoted or..._

_Sclater continued to look on dourfully; "Our sympathies go to Hans."_

**Sol Sanctum, present day**

Despite the complaints of his students, Kraden was still resolved to give them a history lesson. They'd eventually given up, partially due to the fact that it was specificly concerned with the decline of psyenergy and alchemy. Also, Sol Sanctum had become less grand. They were now walking on white tiles with a stream of water on each side.

"Alright, go ahead," sighed Isaac, having become tired of objecting.

"Thank you," answered Kraden curtly as they walked along. He cleared his throat.

"The decline of alchemy has its origins in the closing of the Third Age, which is often-..."

"What about the first and second ages?" interupted Garet.

Kraden sighed; "Nothing but myths and legends exist from those times, and from what I know of them, they're hardly relavent to this discussion."

"What are those myths and legends about?" asked Jenna, obviously not paying attention.

"Would you just let him talk?" exclaimed Isaac.

"Why are you so eager?" asked Garet sarcasticly.

"The sooner he finishes, the sooner we can go back to concentrating on Sol Sanctum."

"_Anyway_," interupted Kraden, becoming more and more irritated. "The Third Age is often referred to as the 'Golden Age of Man' or the 'Lost Age'."

"Really? Why's that?" asked Jenna curiously.

"Because civilisation was at its zenith," explained Kraden. "Man spread throughout the entire world, bringing refined culture with him, including all its benifits. Unlike today, with people living in numerous city states, civilisations existed across the face of Weyard. Although autonomus from each other, they co-existed peacefully, with trade and the exchange of knowlage flourishing. Also, the four clans were at the height of their power, existing autonomously from civilisation and each other."

Kraden paused, expecting to have to deal with interuptions. They never came. Although they probably wouldn't have admitted it, Jenna, Isaac and Garet were becoming quite engrossed. The topic of the four clans was something that, to their fustration, Kraden had only previously alluded to. It looked like they were in for a treat.

"In those times, almost everyone was an adept of sorts. Think of Vale as a microcosm of the world back then."

"So everyone had psynergetic powers, although not nesecarily demonstrated through an element?" asked Isaac.

"Correct. That's a good summary. However, the same can't be said of the four clans. They represented the pinacle of their respective element."

"The four clans-they were Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Mercury, right?" asked Jenna.

"Yes. I think it would be wise to tell you at least a little about them."

"Well get to it then!" exclaimed Garet. Kraden grinned. He never thought he'd see the day where Garet actually pushed him to share information.

Kraden cleared his throat. "Very well. Firstly, the Venus Clan. The Venus Clan had mastery over the element of earth and were well known for their skills in forging, architecture and agriculture, given their close links to nature. They were on good relations with the Mars Clan, whose members also had a love of smithery and highly prized the weapons that the Venus Clan produced. They were also on good relations with the Mercury Clan, whose serene personalities bore resembelence to their own. Suffice to say, whenever a ruler needed a new building, some weapons or was experiencing famine, the Venus Clan would be the first that he would turn to.

Nodding in appreciation, Isaac turned to face Jenna and Garet. "Feeling jealous guys? Stuck with fire while I get to weild earth?"

"Don't get so confident Isaac, he hasn't got to the Mars Clan yet," retorted Jenna.

"Yeah, hurry up will ya?" exclaimed an impatient Garet.

"Don't worry, I'm getting there," reassured Kraden. "Just be patient."

"I think that's asking a lot," murmured Isaac.

Kraden cleared his throat again. "The Mars Clan weilded the element of fire. They set martial prowerss over all things, but not to the extent that they sought to instigate conflict. Rulers often sought them out as mercenaries. Given their skill in battle, many rebellions were quashed before they ever came to fruition. Given their code of honour, it is safe to say that they kept the world at peace for generations. Not that they'd be too happy with that of course, but it can be said that civilisation was indebted to them."

"Yeah, you can start rewarding us right now," exclaimed Garet to Isaac, pleased with the positive description.

"Hey, you wouldn't have got anywhere if it wasn't for the Venus Clan's weapons," Isaac retorted.

"Yeah, but you wouldn't have had time to make them if the Mars Clan didn't protect you," pointed out Jenna.

"Not meaning to interupt, but may I continue?" asked Kraden tersely. The adepts fell silent, giving him the go-ahead.

"Thank you. The third clan was the Jupiter Clan, which was able to harness the element of wind. As a whole they were isolationist, believing that the world should be free to pursue its natural course, just like the wind. Still, many sought out to explore the world, reveling in the freedom it brought. Many employed themselves as tacticans, given their uncanny forsight. This often brought them into contact with the Mars Clan, with whom they held a degree of friendship, since they both had 'free spirits'. Alternativly, many devoted themselves to philosophy and literature, given their depth of perception. It should be noted, that they despised the Venus Clan, whose sturdy, unmoving natures were an antithesis so everything they believed in."

Isaac snorted; "What's wrong with that? Sounds like the Jupiter Adepts had an attitude problem.

"I dunno, I think they had a point you know," remarked Jenna sarcasticly.

"Jenna please, I don't need another lecture."

"Ok, I'll fill in," volunteered Garet. Perhaps he would have, but Kraden cleared his throat, silencing his students. He continued onwards;

"Last, but not least, was the Mercury Clan. They exerted control over the element of water. They were the best healers in the world and willingly gave their services, having great empathy for all living things. They were also masters of the sea, setting off on voyages of trade and discovery, though, in contrast to the Mars Clan, did not do so with great spirit, instead relying on cool courage. It is worth noting that the Mercury Clan detested those of the Mars Clan-partially due to a rivalry perhaps, but it's likely that they resented their boistery, given that they resented armed conflict of any kind."

"Wimps," Garet murmured.

"Yeah, they were just jealous," agreed Jenna.

Isaac wasn't so sure if he agreed, but he was beginning to wish that there was more elemental variety within their group. Even if Felix were still alive, he would have probably been a Venus or Mars adept, given the slight elemental affiliations that his parents' had. It ceartinly would have been interesting to meet adepts of the other elements, but it was highly unlikely that he would ever do so.

Kraden clearly wasn't finished as he was continuing to yak on; "The status quo between the clans and civilisations was maintained for millenia, but it was not set to last. It's unknown exactly how, when or why peace was broken, but eventually the period of co-operation became one of hostility. This eventually led to war."

"The Alchemy Wars, right?" ventured Isaac.

"Correct. Psynergy was being used as a weapon, one among many. Even the clans were eventually dragged into the continuing conflict."

"Bet the Mars Clan did well," piped up Garet.

Kraden smiled grimly. "No doubt. Still, it looked like the power of alchemy was going to tear the world apart. As long as it was free to be harnessed, people would continue to use it as a weapon. As long as it existed, the world was threatened with destruction. Hence, a radical plan was proposed.

"The sealing of alchemy," breathed Jenna.

Kraden nodded. "Such a plan was put forward by the Order of Sages during the-..."

"Order of Sages?" exclaimed Garet. "I don't remember hearing about them before."

"Really? I'm surprised," remarked Kraden. "You're all decended from them after all."

"What?" the three adepts exclaimed.

Kraden smiled. "Everyone in Vale is a decendent of the order."

"Really? What role did they have?" asked Isaac.

"The Order of Sages were based at Mt. Aleph, residing in whatever town existed prior to Vale. Perhaps they're one and the same, but I find that unlikely." Kraden paused for thought before continuing;

"The order's members had a balance of numbers of each of the four elements. They were tasked with watching over Weyard itself, free from the constraints of great rulers. Seeing that alchemy was threatening the world with destruction, they proposed a plan-to seal alchemy. A small group was tasked with such a quest.

"And they succeeded, right?" asked Garet.

Kraden shrugged. "Presumably. The details of such a quest have been lost to the depths of time, but suffice to say that after many trials and tribulations, they succeeded and the seal on alchemy was cast. With alchemy sealed, the wars burnt out, the Fourth Age began and adepts became less and less common. Already weakened by the conflict, the clans are believed to have faded out.

"Shame," remarked Jenna sadly.

"True, but ultimatly nesecary. Thanks to the sacrifices of the past, we now live in an age of peace. Still..." Kraden trailed off.

Jenna and Garet were unusually silent. Kraden's story had clearly got to them. Isaac however, was deep in a different kind of thought. The way that Kraden had trailed off, it seemed to indicate that he knew something about alchemy's decline, something that he wasn't letting on. Still, he was right about the necesity of sealing alchemy. The elders often reinforced the fact that alchemy was a force that had to remain sealed. If it returned, the power released from such an action could tear the world apart. Even if the world did survive such a process, it was almost ceartin that man would fall back into war and strife.

Kraden suddenly clapped his hands together, getting Isaac's attention. "Here we are," he exclaimed. "The heart of Sol Sanctum."

The three adepts looked around. Violet tiles and numerous, majestic statues. It ceartinly looked the part. There was silence for a few moments.

"Wow," breathed Garet eventually.

Jenna stared at him; "You just _had_ to say something, didn't you?"

**XXXX**

The traveller passed Kraden's house and headed for the cave nearby, putting the memories of that fateful day behind him. If only those scrolls had been recovered sooner! Hans could still be alive... Well, no matter. He still had a job to do. He entered the cave, which had previously been known as the Chamber of the Sages-a convening point, a place of discussion.

Sunlight allowed sufficent lumination, allowing him to walk to the other side. It was rather simple-a kind of island surrounded by a stream of water. Not that he really noticed, his mind was purely focussed on the wall in front of him. Arrieving, he took out a hammer and chisel from his belt and started carving away.

It didn't take long for a hole to form. The scrolls had specificly stated that the clay was soft. Eventualy he was able to retrieve the box-a simple wooden one that belayed its true significance-the key to entering Sol Sanctum, something that Thelos had left behind to any who might follow in his footsetps. He placed it on the ground and opened it.

There it was-the gauntlet for the right hand. The key to opening Sol Sanctum. With this, he could open the doors of Sol Sanctum. almost as if he had psyenergy! He could enter the inner chamber and cast the second set of seals! Alchemy could be contained forever! The world's safety would be guaranteed! He could actually start to live! Excitedly, he went to put on the gauntlet. It didn't come over his hand.

"What the...?"

He looked at the hole and let out a roar of rage! The inside of the guantlet wasn't hollow, it was filled in, like some display in a museum! He tried fiddling with it, but nothing happened. Thelos had left behind a model! With anger brewing over he threw the gauntlet down in contempt. As it hit the ground he noticed a note withing the box. Perhaps that would tell him how to use it! He picked it up and started reading the runes. He quickly achieved a translation;

_When one hand falls the other shall rise_

The man snorted; Perhaps it was some kind of clue to using the gauntlet, but what the hell did it mean? He sat down in disgust. He'd wasted his entire journey. Guess he'd have to follow the same path that everyone in the order followed. He understood the importance of the duty, but it didn't make him feel any better. He simply sat there. He may as well wait for Herbert now, given that-

"Who are you, to desecrate the Chamber of Sages?"

The man turned behind him to the scource of the voice. His light blue eyes grew wide at the sight of the creature that greated him.

"How...how is this possible?" he stammered. "How can you exist in this day and age?"

His only answer was a grin.

**XXXX**

_Ok, well that's that done. If you do choose to review, you needn't bother pointing these facts out;_

_-The lack of the traveller's name in the scene with him, Sara and Sclater doesn't do the dialouge any favours. At some point in the story, this will be rectified through an alias, although the clues are evident._

_-The geography of Vale Cave has been simplified. If you don't like it, tough._

_-Quite a few things are kept vague. This is intentional._

_-The first chamber of Sol Sanctum isn't the ture inner one, I know that. I simply thought the term was appropriate, given the point of time in the story._

_Of course, you can point these things out if you want to, but know that I already know about them. Oh, and has for Sara, think of the Athena summons and tone it down, and replace the revealing clothing with a teal tunic. That's your best reference for accrate imagery._


	8. The Art of Battle

**Golden Sun: The Broken Seal**

**Chapter 7: The Art of Battle**

It's clear that humanity is, as a whole, not utilitarian. The numerous works of art, literature and music are testament to that. Perhaps the world would be in better shape if that wasn't the case-the rate of progress would be faster for one thing. Still, would such progress even be worth it if such works didn't exist? How would people be different from base animals then? Hardly, is the answer. Humanity is a fascinating species, hence that was the reason that the Wise One had saw fit to entrust Weyard to their care. Well, maybe entrust wasn't the word. If you wanted to rule, you had to earn it. Suffice to say, they had.

Hence, as a manifestation of mankind's rule over Weyard which was established at the end of the Second Age, which led to the glories of what was now known as the Lost Age, Sol Sanctum had manifested itself as a testament to those who built it. As Isaac, Garet and Jenna gazed around the heart of the sanctum with awe, they could truly appreciate that they were viewing the epitome of glory. In the short corridor that led to the heart of the sanctum, statues of proud warriors were lined up on either side. About ten feet from the entrance stretched a line of statues against the wall. Not simple warriors, each was a sculpture of absolute precision. Males and females with different facial expressions and different attire. Someone had gone to great lengths to impress. Suffice to say, they had succeeded.

Kraden seemed to be an exception to that success, as he was gazing around with a furrowed brow, an expression on his face that could only be described as one of puzzlement. Such an expression was not new to him; he'd looked the same way whenever he entered here on all his previous visits.

"Strange, isn't it?" he commented eventually.

"Huh? What is?" asked Isaac absently, still caught up in the chamber's grandeur.

"Damn it boy, use your eyes!" exclaimed Kraden. "Look around!"

"Er, that's what we've been doing for the past minute," pointed out Jenna. Garet elicited a snigger. Kraden must have been going senile.

Kraden sighed; "Look around the chamber and try not to be caught up in its grandeur. What seems to be missing?"

The three adepts did just that-violet tiles, statues, flickering torches, white marble walls. Nothing seemed to be missing. It looked like a job well done.

Kraden saw that this was going nowhere. "Think about the title of this place. _Sol_ Sanctum."

Garet blinked. "Um, is the title relevant?"

Kraden sighed again. "Didn't you imagine that the inner chamber would look...different somehow?"

"Well, yeah," admitted Isaac. "I mean, I wasn't expecting anything as grand as this."

"Yeah, it's clearly designed to impress," agreed Jenna.

Kraden realized that he'd have to explain things fully to them; "Sol Sanctum was built in honor of the sun god, Sol," he explained. "Yet we haven't seen any sign of that so far. There ought to be something to reflect that, at least here of all places."

"Hey, he's right," realized Isaac. "This is the innermost chamber, yet apart from the way the statues are set up, there's nothing, no symbol to indicate that."

"So? The architects were skimpy. Big deal," pointed out Garet.

"No, Isaac's got a point," responded Jenna. "So far we've only seen one symbol and that's the one we saw outside."

Even Garet was able to remember that, the symbol emblazed outside the entrance which featured a globe with a fireball, stone, hurricane and water drop descending from the north.

"Yes, Jenna's correct," said Kraden. "That was the symbol of the Order of Sages, the four descending objects representing each element."

"Why from the north though?" ventured Isaac.

Kraden shrugged; "To tell you the truth, I'm not sure. However, it seems odd that there'd be the symbol of the sages, yet no symbol of Sol within the sanctum. Unless..."

"Unless...what?" interrupted Jenna.

Kraden smiled faintly. "Saturos and Menardi claimed that there was a secret passage in this room which led deeper into the sanctum. They said that this entire chamber was designed to put on a fake show so that intruders wouldn't be able to rob the sanctum."

"But they succeeded in finding that passage," murmured Isaac.

"Yes. According to them, it's behind one of these statues."

"But how could we move them? They're huge and made of stone!" exclaimed Garet.

"Garet, you can move them with your psyenergy, remember?" sighed Jenna. "Well, maybe not. You can't even move a training stone without breaking into a sweat and crushing flowers.

Garet valued three main things in life-his muscles, pride and Jenna. Not even his physical strength could move the statues, his pride had been damaged and if he didn't set about moving the statues he'd quickly lose Jenna too.

"Heh, just watch me, I'll find that passage," he maintained. With that he moved forward to one of the statues, rolled up his sleeves and prepared to use psyenergy.

"Her...ne-ah!" With that...odd call of effort out of the way, his 'move' psyenergy slowly moved the statue to the side.

"Garet, if you're going to move a statue, at least try not to sound constipated!" called out Isaac. Jenna sniggered at this as Garet finished moving the statue to reveal...nothing. Without saying anything, he moved onto the next one.

Jenna turned to face Isaac; "Aren't you going to help him?"

"Huh? I thought seeing Garet struggle alone would make for a good show," he exclaimed.

"Come on Isaac, cut Garet some slack."

"But weren't you the one-...?"

"Excuse me, are you accusing me of giving Garet a hard time?" exclaimed Jenna indignantly, crossing her arms.

Isaac sighed. There was no way that he could win an argument with Jenna, and there were of course times when he felt no desire to. Given that she was now employing that coy smile that he loved, this was one of those times.

"Sure, I'll help," he shrugged eventually. As Garet finished with his second statue Isaac started on his first. Neither of them had revealed anything.

"Aren't you going to help?" called out Isaac to Jenna as he moved on to the second statue.

"Why would she? She's a girl," pointed out Garet as he started on his third.

Jenna sighed, choosing to ignore Garet; "I can't use 'move' psyenergy, remember?"

"Oh." Garet finished moving the third. Nothing. Kraden sighed. Considering that there were more than twenty statues present, this was going to take awhile.

**XXXX**

The traveler was having a very bad day. Ask him if that was the case and he would have said that this was a drastic understatement. He'd arrived in Vale only to find that Saturos and Menardi, who had seemed to have acquired some allies, were here as well. Not that they were necessarily going to try attempting to enter Sol Sanctum, they could have been preparing to try diplomacy. However, given their lack of subtlety and the fact that the elders of Vale were devoted to keeping alchemy sealed (although didn't have the willpower to implement the nesecary, harsher methods that were required to guarantee Weyard's safety), that probably wasn't very likely. His best bet was to hope that if they did enter the sanctum, they'd stuff up like they did three years ago. Not get themselves killed though. If they were going to experience untimely death, he wanted it to be by his hand.

Next, he found that the fat innkeeper was being host to those same visitors, so he'd have to wait for night to fall before he could receive his report on the girl. Jenna, he believed her name was. Vale was nice, but he didn't want to have to wait too long for some bumbling tub of lard to struggle to walk to the cave.

Still, ever since he'd found those scrolls, he'd been feeling optimistic, even coupled with his predecessor's untimely demise. He could get the gauntlet that Thelos had left behind, enter Sol Sanctum and cast the second set of seals. Even if something prevented him from doing that, he could still use the…'thing' that had been sealed in the inner chamber. Instead, he found that he couldn't use the gauntlet, or if he was actually capable of doing so, he didn't know how to. He wasn't very good at deciphering the meaning of cryptic clues.

Finally, to top off his day of crappiness and frustration, he was standing face to face with a Jupiter Djinn, which, by all rights, shouldn't have been able to exist in this world, given the sealing of alchemy. He/she/it (hard to tell) didn't seem to be looking at him with much malice or antagonism, given its anatomy (light blue eyes, a purple lower body with stubby feet and a head that stretched out behind it in the shape of a feather). However, the creature certainly didn't seem to be in the mood to give him a tour of the cave.

"Er, listen, I may have caught you at a bad time, so-…"

"You still haven't answered my question," pointed out the djinn. "You've hammered away at the wall and taken out a box that, by the looks of things, was supposed to remain there." The djinn's voice was smooth and silky, like the wind that it represented, but, from what the traveler remembered of his studies of the djinn, they could be fierce fighters.

"Oh, yeah, about the wall, you see…" He trailed off, suddenly grinning.

"What?" asked the djinn incredulously, its voice coming out high pitched. "Probably a female," thought the traveler.

"Well?"

The traveler chuckled. "I'm actually talking to a bobbing elemental. To think I was almost trembling at the sight of you!"

The creature sprang up and started hovering a few feet away from him. "You ought to give more respect to both me and the chamber! Answer my question now!"

"Why should I answer the questions of a bouncing pet?"

If the man was talking to a Mars Djinn, he would have probably been scorched there and then. Luckily, Jupiter Djinn weren't as volatile. Still, it wasn't wise to tick them off. The creature drew in air, making her chest stick out, making herself look proud and commanding.

"I'll tell you why you should answer me," she stated haughtily. "I am Kite, proud Jupiter Djinn. I, along with the rest of my kind, have served mankind in battle twice. I have also aided the sages in the closing days of the Lost Age, where-…"

"Oh please, cut the melodrama!" snapped the man. "Stop expressing faded glories. The djinn allied with mankind in the First and Second Ages that is true. But those days are long gone. Alchemy's been sealed. You can't exist in a world without it. Get used to it you bouncing piece of wind!

The traveler was glaring at the creature, leaving some frustrations unexpressed. If that djinn _had_ helped the sages seal alchemy, then it was part of the ultimate reason why he was wasting his life making sure that alchemy didn't return, why those that became the Rouge Sages had to form. That was all he seemingly existed for. The only other thing that drove him forward was the desire to ensure that Saturos and Menardi received the painful and humiliating deaths that they deserved.

The two pairs of eyes were now staring at each other with nothing less than malice. Kite however, was fairly disturbed. The traveler sure seemed to know a lot about the djinn. A bit _too _much. Well, she'd have to wonder about that later. As Cannon had once said, in true Mars Djinn fashion, it was best to concentrate on the here and now.

"I'll ask you once more," she grimaced. "Explain your reason for being in here, or I'll be forced to show you the true power of the elementals.

"Go ahead and show me. I doubt I'll be impressed." With that, the intruder started to head out. Kite went ahead and showed him. The air that she'd stored up in her chest came rushing out with hurricane force, slamming the man against the rock wall. He slumped down on hands and knees, a few chunks of rock landing on him. Surprisingly, he seemed to be undazed. Instead, he seemed to be trembling with rage.

"That's it," he gritted, slowly rising. "I've had it." To add to his list of crap events, he'd been partially bested by a frickin djinn! He rose and drew out his two short swords.

"One way or another, I'm exiting. The only question is whether I exit with a corpse on my hands."

Kite flexed herself. It had been three thousand years since she'd experienced a good fight. Three simple words were uttered:

"Bring it on."

**XXXX**

If there had been any non-adept that was standing in Sol Sanctum's inner chamber at this very moment apart from Kraden, he or she would have probably either been amazed or terrified through superstition. True, the chamber was grand, but what would have really caught their attention would have been the fact that the stone statues seemed to be moving on their own. Seeing such a display and given the nature of the human psyche, they would have either stood and watched in awe, or alternatively, run out screaming, thinking that supernatural forces were at work.

Jenna however, was experiencing neither awe nor terror. The chamber's grandeur had worn off on her and given that she was an adept, she could see the ghostly force of psyenergy that Isaac and Garet were using to slowly, but surely, move the statues. Neither had had any luck in finding the secret passage so far and Jenna was beginning to doubt whether there even was one. Perhaps Saturos and Menardi had made the whole thing up just to impress Kraden.

She'd partially hoped that she could tease Garet or Isaac for experiencing exhaustion from constantly employing psyenergy, but neither of them were showing any. Kraden had reminded her that Mt. Aleph radiated psyenergy, hence the number of adepts in Vale (although their sage ancestry helped) and the reason that they were going to have their prac on the mountain near its summit, which, according to Kraden, gave off the largest amount of residue.

Suffice to say, the moving of statues was a good substitute for that prac, and it would have also been accurate to say that Isaac and Garet were succeeding. Jenna would have helped too, but her psyenergy wasn't strong enough to move such objects. It was strange, but in the early stages of their psyenergetic training, she'd always had to put in far more effort than Isaac and even Garet. Whenever they finished, she always felt faint and nauseous. Neither Kraden nor the elders had any explanation for this.

Still, she'd managed to overcome that obstacle and had eventually surpassed Garet in psyenergetic skill. Unfortunately, with the ease that he, along with Isaac, was moving them, she get any kicks from playfully rubbing it in. To try and alleviate the boredom, she decided to check out the statues that they'd finished with, see if she could get any satisfaction from appreciating fine sculpture.

She approached the first one. It showed a young girl, probably not much older than her. Long, flowing hair that seemed to be caught in some wind with a tunic that seemed to be doing the same thing. Also, the expression that her carved face showed, it seemed to indicate a kind of sadness. Jenna mentally snorted-probably one of those melodramatic girls that she disliked. Still, she did notice some writing on the statue's base. Unfortunately, it was written with the runes used in the Lost Age.

"Hey Kraden, can you translate this?" she asked. The scholar, glad to have something to do apart from move statues (such as showing off his 'wisdom), quickly came over.

"Hmm, should be able to," he murmured. He took out one of his notebooks from his satchel and quickly cross referenced the runes.

"Ok, I think I have it. The inscription roughly translates as; _Vani, Maiden of the Sages_.

Jenna sighed. She was right. Another melodramatic female had existed. Well, at least-

"Hey, found something!"

Three pairs of eyes turned over to Garet, who'd called out. "Garet, did you find the hidden passage?" asked Kraden eagerly, quickly heading over.

"I've found something, but it doesn't seem to be a passage. Looks like some kind of armory."

"Oh." Kraden sagged his soldiers in disappointment. "Anyway, carry on searching then.

"Aww come on Kraden, just give us a few minutes to check this out," protested Isaac, who'd already headed in. Garet eagerly followed.

Kraden went to protest but Jenna stopped him; "Let them go Kraden, they're boys after all."

Kraden nodded knowingly. He'd seen Aaron and his friends embark on numerous 'adventures', using sticks as swords and stones as the payload of imaginary catapults. It was likely that Isaac, Garet and even Felix had been like that once.

Jenna actually chuckled. "What?" asked Kraden.

"Oh, just the whole thing about weapons. Reminds me of some of the games we used to play as children. Garet, Isaac and Felix took on the role of knights or mercenaries while Kay and I were always forced to take on the roles of the damsels in distress."

"Forced?" asked Kraden. "Didn't you like being rescued?"

Jenna shrugged; "I would have preferred to switch roles at times. But I bore with it. Weapons aren't really my thing."

"Really?" grinned Kraden. "That's definitely not the impression that you give me."

Jenna raised an eyebrow; "Really? How's that?"

Kraden's grin hadn't abated; "Think about it. Whenever I give you your staff you're always hitting Garet with it ten minutes later."

"Damn right!" came a voice from armory.

Jenna twirled her staff around absent mindedly; "So what? The lout needs sense beaten in to him."

Kraden's grin was becoming wider; "You know, you could resort to more subtle ways of making a boy notice you."

The staff dropped with a clunk as Jenna glared at him; "Kraden, are you implying something?" she growled.

The grin now bore resemblance to the smile of a wolf's smile; "Don't think you can fool me Jenna. I've seen you in lessons. You always sit behind Isaac and Garet and almost always finish written work before them. You spend most of the remaining time gazing at either one of them.

A teardrop of sweat had appeared on Jenna's forehead. "That…that's not true," she stammered. "All I'm doing is, er, you know, staring off into space.

"Yeah, a very particular space-one that's occupied by either a Venus or Mars Adept. Given the way your hate-love relationship with Garet plays, I'd say-…"

"Kraden! I-don't-like-him-in-that-way!"

"Oh, so it's Isaac you like then?"

"_Kraden…"_ Jenna had picked up her staff and was holding it tightly.

"Ok, ok, I'll stop," chuckled the scholar, clearly reluctant to have the fun end, but not wanting to share the same kind of bruises that Garet had. "I'll leave you to it. But seriously, you're always free to talk to me about relationships. I've had a few flings back in the day."

"Kraden, can we _please_ talk about something else?" begged Jenna, not wanting to hear about whatever women Kraden may have laid.

"All right. Let's see what these other inscriptions have to say." With that, a grinning scholar and a blushing Mars Adept went back to translation.

**XXXX**

If Isaac had been in this armory nine or ten years ago, he'd have claimed that he must have found his way to heaven. It probably had something to do with being a Venus Adept, but Isaac had always had a love of smithery, with forged weapons being no exception. Garet too, but he was more concerned with using them. Isaac liked looking at pictures of them in books. Felix, being the bookworm that he was, liked to explain about them.

So, even now at the age of seventeen, Isaac was still in a state of awe. Swords, axes, spears, crossbows, maces…armaments of every kind hung from racks. Garet was already trying his hand with a double handed battle sword, swinging it around, promptly knocking a longbow off the rack.

"Garet, be careful!" hissed Isaac.

"Hey, just practicing," he maintained, sheathing the sword and strapping it in his belt after putting the longbow back on the rack.

Isaac's eyes grew wide; "Garet, what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Taking the sword, what does it look like?"

"Garet, we're not thieves," maintained Isaac, the image of Saturos and Menardi flashing in his mind.

"Come on Isaac, no-one's going to miss simple swords," Garet maintained. "Take one for yourself, it'll be just like old times.

Isaac went to argue but stopped short. He'd never lost his adventurous side, and who would miss one measly weapon anyway? He gazed through the racks, eventually settling on a slim sword. He unsheathed it and weighed it up. Nicely balanced.

"See? Just like old times," grinned Garet.

"Yeah," agreed Isaac sadly, the sword somehow bringing back memories. "Just like old times…"

**Ten years ago**

"_ATTACK!"_

_The knights charged down the hill, swords at the ready. The queen of Vale had, from her palace on Mt. Aleph, had sent the knights to rescue the princess from the evil clutches of the mercenary that was serving the evil emperor of Gondowan._

_Er, not really._

_Suffice to say, that was the scenario that was being alluded to as Isaac and Felix charged down the small slope, their wooden swords at the ready. Christmas may have been a time of peace and love, but clearly the two of them weren't honoring the Christmas spirit. Still, at least they were enjoying their presents (although Felix was eager to get back to reading Garet was there waiting for them with his wooden axe, guarding Jenna, who, much against her will, was tied up to a stump_

"_There he is! The servant of the emperor!" cried out 'Sir' Felix._

"_You handle him! I'll rescue the princess!" cried out 'Sir' Isaac._

_Felix rushed forward to meet Garet in combat as Isaac set about untying Jenna. "Your vile schemes end here!"_

"_So you say knight, but is there any iron in your words?"_

"_Felix clasped both hands to his sword; "You're about to find out."_

_With that, Felix lunged at Garet, the sword shooting forward. Garet brought his axe down, battering it aside. Sizing his advantage, he pressed his attack, numerous blows that Felix was barely able to parry._

_Garet brought the axe down vertically but Felix jumped to one side, bringing his sword around in an arc, hitting Garet's arm. Obeying the rules, Garet tucked it against his side, as it had been 'cut off'. Unfortunately it had been his right arm, which was to be expected given that Felix was left handed. Not giving up though he brought the axe downward, hitting Felix in the leg._

"_Oww! That hurt!" he exclaimed, dropping down._

"_Aww, can't the crybaby take it?" Garet sneered. _

"_I…I'm no crybaby!" Felix exclaimed, trying to stop himself from whimpering with pain._

"_Yeah, whatever you say bookworm!"_

"_Hey Garet, leave him alone!" Isaac had** finally** been able to untie the ropes holding Jenna. Both of them were heading over. Garet turned to face them._

"_Come on Jenna, you can't always stick up for your brother. He's the oldest guy in our group yet he can't even take a little hack to the leg! All he does is-…"_

_Garet stopped short as he felt wood against the back of his neck. "Isaac and I win," announced Felix smugly._

_Garet turned to face him, glaring; "That doesn't count! You cheated!"_

"_Really? How's that?"_

"_Jenna distracted me! That doesn't count!"_

_Isaac and Jenna were chuckling as Felix twirled his sword around airily; "Garet, I distinctly recall going through the rules. We never said anything about being distracted. If you're going to be distracted by the princess it's not-…"_

_Garet didn't let Felix finish as he barged into him, sending the two boys sprawling. Garet quickly engaged in the resulting fistfight. Felix really got on his nerves sometimes. Not only did he spend almost all his time reading some damn book but he always made references to the day two years ago where, after Jenna had helped him up after falling into the stream and exclaiming that he was going to drown, that she was his best friend. Cooties were something that you had to avoid which Garet had promptly expressed soon afterwards but the incident had stuck._

"_Hey! Stop it! STOP IT!" Jenna tried to break the two boys up but was failing miserably._

"_No fair! Fist fights are against the rules!" exclaimed Felix._

"_Really? I don't remember that declaration!" answered Garet with great satisfaction._

_Jenna turned to Isaac; "Aren't you going to do something?"_

_:No, not really," he grinned, enjoying the resulting show._

_Sighing, Jenna sat down to wait for the boys to run out of energy. So much for the Christmas spirit (whatever that was). Still, she could take comfort in the knowledge that, despite whatever disagreements they may have, they'd always remain true friends and never be separated. And besides, it wasn't as if there was ever going to be a real fight in Vale._

**Vale Cave, present day**

Kite flew ahead, bringing streams of lightning down along with her in an X shape. The traveler, or Los as he'd called himself, dived between them. Having developed mutual respect for each other, Kite had, like many others, asked him what his name was. Deciding that the whole thing of 'not having a name' reeked of melodrama, he'd settled on going by the alias of Los. Kite had quickly picked up on the fact that that was simply 'Sol' spelt backwards and wondered jokingly if he was some kind of 'Sol' Adept or something. Well, let her wonder that. The less concentration the djinn had, the better.

Kite swooped down at him and was greeted by a whirlwind of metal, Los's two blades spun expertedly, forcing the djinn to draw off. However, Los let out a howl of frustration; all those strikes and he still hadn't hit the damn thing! Kite swooped by him. Both swords lashed out, but, like before, both missed.

"Argh! Hold still you annoying insect!"

Kite turned and hovered contemptuously; "You know, you could save us a lot of time and effort if you just told me your motivations."

"Go to hell."

"Fine," sighed Kite. "We'll do this the less easy way.

Kite swooped down at him. Los charged at her, hoping to catch her off guard. Both swords came down. Kite dived even further, rushing between his legs with such speed that the force of wind knocked Los over. He grimaced in pain as he rose, both physical and mental. He was among the best swordsmen in his order, and here he was, having his arse kicked by a frickin djinn!

Kite was doing the 'hovering thing' again. "Ready to give up yet?"

"Argh! No! Sooner or later you'll find yourself with a sword through your gut!"

With that, Los sprinted right at her, leapt into the air and engaged in a fury of slashes. All missed, given that Kite was able to slip through the maelstrom. Before he could even bring his feet back on Terra Firma, Kite cast a whirlwind, sucking Los up. He spun around faster and faster, resisting his body's wish to throw up. Eventually it flung him across the cave, resulting in the warrior hitting the stone wall with a sickening crack. His body slumped down.

"Yeah, strike!" exclaimed Kite. While not a Mars Djinn, it had been too long since she'd experienced some action. She floated over.

"You ok? Ready to spill the beans?" No answer. The only movement in the room was the steady trickle of blood that was coming from Los's forehead. Kite began to shake.

"No…" she whimpered. "No, I never wanted to kill you, I just…I just…" A tear came down her cheek.

"Don't worry, you haven't killed him," said a voice. Kite turned and saw the individual standing at the entrance to the cave. "But I can't say that this has done me any favors."

**XXXX**

"So, what does this one translate as?"

"Hmm, it translates as; _Abel, valued ally_."

"Really? How…descriptive."

No progress had been made, so Jenna and Kraden were still translating the inscriptions on the statues. They were currently standing at the base of what looked like some kind of male mariner- flowing hair that was tied with a bandanna and calm eyes.

Isaac and Garet were still moving statues and even with Aleph's radiated psyenergy, they were becoming tired. Kraden had allowed them to keep the swords, plus, they'd made an interesting discovery in the armory-a weapon set was already missing. Someone had been in here before. Not actual proof that it was the doing of Saturos and Menardi, but interesting nonetheless.

"Hey Isaac! Give me a hand with this statue, will ya?"

Isaac turned to see Garet struggling with a statue. He was casting 'move' psyenergy, but the statue wasn't budging. Garet drew off.

"It must be caught on something," he panted. "I can't move it."

"Here, let me try," volunteered Isaac. Isaac cast his psyenergy and the statue moved effortlessly, revealing…an empty room. Great.

"Think you're losing your touch," grinned Isaac.

"It wasn't me! It's as if something was resisting my psyenergy or something!"

"Garet, just move on to the other statues ok? I'll check out this room." Muttering under his breath, Garet obliged, passing Jenna and Kraden who were staring at another statue, this time of an old man in frayed robes. The inscription read; _Thelos, epitome of wisdom_."

As this was occurring, Isaac entered the empty room. It was strange, but he felt almost…attached to it, as if drawn in. Exactly _what_ was drawing in was a mystery, given that it was completely empty. However, there was something that looked like a crystal . He headed over. It glass was perfectly clear, yet it seemed to give off a faint golden glow. Isaac furrowed his brow-it seemed to give off something reminiscent to psyenergy, yet it felt almost…drained, somehow. There was a runic inscription below, yet Isaac paid it little heed. He started to walk out. The room, inscription and the crystal were probably nothing to worry about. Shame he couldn't read it like the one before him had. Suffice to say, he may have found it…interesting.

_Radiance of Sol: A Gift to the Golden One_

**XXXX**

Isaac's re-emergence to the chamber coincided with a whoop of joy from Garet. He wondered how his presence could have elected such a response from his friend. He quickly realized however, that his presence had nothing to do with it. Garet, Jenna and Kraden were staring at a hole in the wall where a statue had been moved. Jenna came running over to Isaac;

"Garet did it! He found the passageway!" she exclaimed.

"Oh, er, really?" Isaac felt like kicking himself. Garet had found the passageway and therefore impressed Jenna while he'd been poking around in empty rooms. Oh well. He'd have to make up for his blunder later.

Kraden stared down the passageway-it was dark, smelt of moss and numerous small noises could be heard.

"So, do we go down there?" asked Garet.

"Why would we have to?" asked Isaac. "We proved that there's a passage, that Saturos and Menardi have been in here. They probably were the ones that took the weapon also. The-…"

Kraden held up his hand; "It's true that we have proof of sorts," he said slowly. "But those two also described an inner sanctum in great detail. If he can find it and cross reference it with their account, we'll have more evidence, providing that their description was accurate."

"Good point," agreed Jenna. "Ok you guys, let's go."

Wanting to impress her, both Isaac and Garet stepped forward. They simultaneously stopped as they heard a small screech echo from inside. Both drew their swords as Isaac turned to Garet;

"You first."

**A/N**

_Man, these chapters are getting longer, yet the amount of game material per chapter is getting smaller. Not sure if that's a good or bad thing. Anyway, please review and take note of the following;_

_-This is the first chapter with actual fight scenes. I'd appreciate honest feedback on them._

_-Vale having Christmas? WTF? Yeah, I know that's stretching it. A phyric explanation will be provided at a later point._

_-Kite bears resemblance to a Mary Sue-semi OC, seemingly macho. Suffice to say, she isn't all that invincible… (heh heh)_

_-To my knowledge the gender of djinn is never specified, or even stated whether there is gender. I've decided that there are both males and females._

_-The traveler's alias was mainly driven by necessity. So is he a Sol Adept or something, given that Los is Sol spelt backwards? Will I butcher this story by making up Sol and Luna Adepts? Not giving anything away, but I think that you can rest easy. However, some liabilities **are** taken._

_-Yes, Felix **is **left handed. Look at his profile picture._

_-I know I may have made Felix perhaps a little sniveling in the flashback, but that was ten years ago after all. He'll be in character. And yeah, I know that scene was corny. Still, it's based on true events. Ah, memories. _


	9. The Path of Sol

**Golden Sun: The Broken Seal**

**Chapter 8: The Path of Sol**

Having headed through the hidden passage that was located behind the statue, Isaac was beginning to wonder if acquiring concrete evidence of Saturos and Menardi having visited a supposed inner sanctum was worth it. Wouldn't the fact that they'd indeed been telling the truth about a hidden passageway be enough evidence, even for the stubborn elders?

Isaac's concerns were indeed valid. The passageways they were going down… well, 'passageway' was probably too grandiose a term. There was no sign of human presence here, only dimly lit torches that had hung from rock walls, shedding light over a smooth mud pathway. The area was infused with the smell of moss, which was understandable as moss was growing in patches _everywhere_. Even if the torches, which, like before had automatically lit, hadn't been shining, the group would have still known that the moss was there. The smell alone was enough to indicate that.

So far, the features of this area of Sol Sanctum had been discomforting. However, that wasn't all that Sol Sanctum had to offer. Numerous small screeches could be heard and small, darting shapes within the gloom. The screeches were probably bats, but such knowledge wasn't too reassuring. And any comfort that this area of the sanctum might have given (fat chance) would have been offset by the darting shadows, seemingly moving with purpose. Two swords and a staff were being held tightly by their owners and the unarmed Kraden was boldly taking up the rear.

And of course, there was the final, relatively 'insignificant' fact that these passageways were occurring at junctions at about every ten metres. Kraden, insisting that he knew what he was doing, was calling the shots as to which way to turn. So far, they hadn't seen any sign of an inner sanctum, which meant that it either didn't exist, or Kraden didn't have any clue as to where they were going. Isaac was willing to bet that the later was the case.

Garet however, was more impatient, as he started to walk on ahead of them. "Garet, slow down," murmured Kraden. The Mars Adept ignored him.

"Garet, get back here!" shouted Kraden. No response. Garet ignored him.

Kraden was about to call out to his student again when Isaac interrupted him; "Let him go, Kraden. Garet's capable of looking out for himself."

"You sure about that?" asked Jenna, turning to face Isaac.

"What, suddenly you're actually concerned about him?"

"No, I just don't want to have to deal with a stupid boy who gets himself hurt," maintained Jenna.

Isaac managed to keep a straight face; "Jenna, he's got a sword with him. I don't think that anything is going to hurt him."

"Yeah, but what about all the sounds we're hearing?" whispered Jenna, her facial features showing something that could be interpreted as fear. "What if they attack Garet while he's alone? You guys have only just got those swords; you haven't even used them yet!"

Isaac gave his sword a few spins. Despite its age, it was still sharp and battle worthy. Completing the cycle he interrupted one spin and sheathed it quickly and efficiently into its scabbard, strapped over his back.

"Nice," admitted Jenna, giving some soft clapping. Kraden remained silent though, furrowed in thought. Probably wondering how or even when he was going to admit that they were lost.

"See, you can rely on us," maintained Isaac. He took on a playful air; "With your 'knights' by your side you have nothing to-…"

"**Ah! Sol Damn it!"**

Isaac and Jenna quickly turned to face each other-"Garet!" They shot up the passageway with Kraden trailing behind.

**XXXX**

Limbo-the state of the soul before it passed on to whatever afterlife existed for the creatures of Weyard-provided that one existed at all. Of course, the term was often used to describe a state of being where one is only 'half there'.

There were a few examples of one being half there. One may be half awake, their mind still clouded by half sleep. One may be simply 'out of it', losing concentration, caught up in some dream world. Unfortunately for Los, he was in one of the more undesirable options-the state of being half conscious. Not really alert enough to move, hear or see properly, but alert enough to know that his head hurt. A lot.

His eyesight slowly coming into the focus. Stone walls, weak sunlight, which suggested that the sun was setting. From the looks of things he was still in Vale Cave…or some incredibly whacked afterlife where he laid around in a cave, in pain, without doing anything.

"Probably the former," he murmured softly. He heard footsteps coming his way, and shut his eyes. He felt someone nudging him. He managed to keep still. Clearly, the djinn wasn't the one responsible. It felt more like a human foot. Finally it stopped.

"Well?" asked a voice. To Los, it sounded like it was coming from the end of a tunnel, but without any echo. Simply dim and indistinct. However, he could still tell that Kite was the one who had spoken. "Never forget the voices of those you hate," he thought, remembering a saying that his father had once told him. "You will no doubt hear them again. Remember the sound so that your righteous rage will be even greater when you confront them." He'd been doing that for the past few hours-remembering the sound of the voices of Saturos and Menardi. Not exactly calming.

"It's ok, he's still unconscious. Still, he should be able to make a recovery." Once again, the voice was faint, but Los could still tell that the individual wasn't Kite. Kite's voice had an almost playful ring to it. This one conveyed detached indifference.

"That's a relief," breathed Kite. "Still, you haven't yet told me who you are, why you're here."

"Does it matter?"

"Of course!" maintained Kite indignantly. "Not only do you seem to be fully aware of what the djinn are, but you just _happened_ to be at the entrance once Los hit the wall."

The individual chuckled at this; "You actually think that his name is Los?"

"Well I-…" Kite stopped at this. "You…you mean that isn't his name?" she asked. "And how would you know that's what he called himself in the first place?"

Los's vision was starting to come into focus and he managed to turn his neck slightly, ignoring the pain that tore threw it. He could see the individual shrug at Kite's question, but his vision was still too blurry to make out any defining features.

"I have my ways," answered the stranger. "Los isn't his real name. But I wouldn't recommend asking what it is."

"Why?" asked Kite.

"Personal and functional," remarked the individual, once again conveying a feeling of indifference.

Although Los wasn't able to see it, Kite was clearly confused. Why would anyone hide their name? Was it perhaps corny? Did it sound bad? She didn't understand how it could be functional, but still…

"I don't understand this," she admitted eventually. "But if it's personal, I won't ask him."

"Good girl."

Los couldn't help feeling grateful to the djinn. Perhaps his reaction had been a bit over the top. He could have actually ended up killing her, but here she was, respecting his wishes. He would have gone right ahead and apologised if it wasn't for two factors-firstly, doing so would alert this newcomer to his semi-conscious presence and he wanted to learn what he could. Secondly, most of his willpower was focused on fighting back the pain that was coursing through his head and neck, pain that seemed intent on pushing him back into full unconsciousness.

"Anyway," continued the shadowy one. "He's no use to me unconscious. I'll be back at some point. I have other business to attend to."

"Oh, and what would that be?" asked Kite suspiciously. Despite the stranger's seeming good will, he still hadn't given her any insight into his motives.

"It's not necessary for you to know," remarked the stranger simply.

"Really? On who's authority?" exclaimed Kite. How dare this man treat her like some little child? Sure, she looked like one, but she was far older than any human could hope to be."

The stranger considered the question, and then decided to allay Kite's suspicions. "On this authority," he announced, showing the palm of his hand.

Kite let out a gasp-quite a loud one too, considering that she was a Jupiter Djinn. "That…that symbol hasn't been used since…"

"Since the end of the First Age, I know," completed the man.

Ignoring the excruciating pain tearing through his head and neck, Los managed to focus enough to see the symbol that the stranger was talking about- a golden sun, half eclipsed by a silver moon. To say that he'd been extremely puzzled would have been a drastic understatement-he'd had access to hundreds of scrolls from the depths of history and he'd never seen a symbol like _that _before.

"Very well," said Kite eventually. "If… if Sol has passed on his blood then… then I shall trust you."

"Good. Glad to hear it." With an air of arrogance, the stranger walked out. Los tried to rise, to find out who he was, but it was too great an effort. He sank back down to the ground, the blackness clouding his vision again. One last thought echoed through his mind before the darkness completely took him;

_What the hell was that about?_

**XXXX**

In what felt like too long a time, Isaac and Jenna reached Garet, sword and staff at the ready. To his credit, Kraden wasn't far behind. He may have been an old man but he could move surprisingly fast. Yet another mystery surrounding the scholar.

Reaching Garet though, it appeared as if Isaac and Jenna had made an overreaction. His sword was sheathed, nothing dangerous could be seen. He could simply be seen staring at the ground, shaking.

"Garet, are you all right?" asked Jenna cautiously, genuine concern in her voice.

Garet turned to face Jenna with a grin on his face; "So this is the way you feel?"

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

Garet stepped aside, gesturing to something engraved in the mud. Isaac leant forward curiously. Two simple words had been carved in;

_Garet Sucks_

Sniggering, Isaac turned to see the reaction that Jenna would have, who was grinning sheepishly.

"So, what's the problem?" she asked cheekily. "Can't handle the truth?"

"Course I can," he maintained.

"Oh, so you admit that you suck?"

"No, I don't have to handle that, because it isn't the truth." Garet had been grinning but his face suddenly darkened. "The truth I do have to handle…**IS THAT THIS PROVES THAT KRADEN HAS BEEN LEADING US IN CIRCLES THE ENTIRE TIME!"**

Three pairs of eyes turned to Kraden, who looked like he'd suddenly aged twenty years. "I…I don't know what happened," he whispered. "I could've sworn that I was leading us in the right direction…"

"Give it a rest Kraden," sighed Isaac. "How could you have known what route to take anyway? You didn't even know that this passageway existed until a few hours ago. Just admit you're lost."

"We're not lost," maintained Kraden. "We're… just off track…" The three pairs of eyes glared at him. "Alright, I admit it. We're lost," he sighed.

"Hah! I knew it!" exclaimed Garet.

"Oh well done," remarked Jenna sarcastically. "You were actually able to put two and two together."

"Hey, cut me some slack," protested Garet.

"Make me."

Isaac sighed as Garet and Jenna proceeded to argue over yet _another_ absurd point. He turned to Kraden. "Any ideas?"

"About what? Which route to take or how to get those two to shut up?"

"Isaac glanced at Garet and Jenna, with their sword and staff drawn respectably. "Both," he answered, turning his gaze back to the scholar.

Kraden shrugged hopelessly. "Isaac, I'm sorry, I-…"

Isaac held up his hand; "Kraden, forget about apologies, we-…" It was at this point that Isaac was forced to duck as a fireball came his way, a combination of Garet's poor aim and Jenna's quick reflexes.

"Hey guys, cut that out!" yelled Isaac. The two Mars Adepts ignored him, too focused on each other. Namely that they were focused on each other so their small fireballs would hit.

Kraden had started chuckling; "Ah, the virtues of youth."

"Kraden, I don't need reminiscence," interrupted Isaac, not wanting life stories from Kraden, while simultaneously not feeling like acting as a peacemaker between Garet and Jenna, who were risking setting the sanctum on fire.

Part of this was that Isaac was thinking about what the hell they were going to do. They were walking in circles, obviously lost. And given that Garet and Jenna were laying on the 'firepower' and that Kraden was watching them with a silly grin, he seemed to be the only person who realised this.

"But how do we find our way out of a labyrinth?" wondered Isaac. "It's not as if we have a magic rope or anything," he commented, remembering a book that Felix had once leant him; "Thorseus and the Minotaur" or something like that. One of the few pieces of literature that Isaac could get fully engrossed in-still did better than Garet though.

And then the answer hit him. How could it have eluded him? He took out his sword and walked over to Jenna and Garet, who, having temporarily exhausted their psyenergy, were murmuring numerous profanities.

"Guys, cut it out. We have to move on."

"How? We'll just get lost," pointed out Garet.

"Not with this," grinned Isaac, holding up his sword. He started to walk ahead, causing a line in the mud with the tip of his sword.

"Isaac, that's brilliant!" exclaimed Jenna, rushing after him. Garet and Kraden followed, the former slightly jealous, the later excited. Isaac wasn't sure how he felt. He was taking on the role of a leader of sorts, and his friends appeared to trust him. Yet the thought wasn't so comforting. He was no leader, no hero. He just happened to take on the role well.

Also, there was another thing that had been bothering him. Something that had spurred him into action, something that made him realise that they couldn't hang about.

The shadows, the screeches. They'd stopped.

**XXXX**

Mariff had never claimed to be a patient individual. Why would he have to? If anyone questioned his lack of patience, they'd find themselves with a trident through their gut. Or spear. Or perhaps another body part. Either way, he wasn't too particular. One wouldn't have expected such savagery from many of his kind-three feet tall, a mainly blue body with mouse like feet and ears. Still, Mariff was made of stronger stuff.

Today was one of those frequent days where he was in a bad mood. This was usually due to a lack of moss for them to eat, or one of the amazes giving his gang a hard time. Today though, it was because a bunch of humans, filthy, arrogant, _humans_, had seen fit to enter the caves of Sol Sanctum.

Mariff's rage was rising, and he welcomed it. Most of the passageways of Sol Sanctum had been converted from pre-existing caves that were in Mt. Aleph, caves where a number of vermin, his race, lived. They'd seen fit to drive them deeper into the mountain, forcing them to live off water, moss and contend with the amaze's that dwelt there, still hateful of all living things, still carrying out the will of their departed masters.

"Shows how useless humans and their allies were," he thought bitterly. "They couldn't even fully finish off their enemies at the end of the First Age." His contempt rose also. No doubt humanity remembered no such thing; many historical records had been lost in the War of the Elements. Vermin passed their history down through word of mouth. A far more effective method, at least in Mariff's opinion.

So here he was, experiencing the third visit of outsiders in the last five years. If this was a sign of things to come, he didn't have high hopes for the future. Still, from the reports his scouts had made, it seemed that this group consisted of three kids (one of them a female- a definite plus) and an old man. Sure, the kids had weapons, but Mariff doubted that they had any idea to use them. Overall, they seemed to be easy pickings. Mariff grinned, bearing his fangs. Eating moss got dull quickly. And although he'd never tasted it, human meat was apparently a delicacy.

The sound of steady footsteps interrupted his pleasant thought of eating the meat of humans after prolonging their agony (plus…other things as far as the reported female was concerned). Snapping out of his pleasant daydream, he saw his two best scouts coming heading over to him-Maruf and Moran (often called Moron instead). 'Best' was probably too generous a term- it would be more accurate to say 'scouts that weren't as incompetent as the rest.

"Well well, look whose back, the conquering heroes," sneered Mariff.

"Conquering heroes?" asked Moran stupidly. "I thought we were simply meant to ghost the humans."

"We_ were_ meant to ghost the humans," sighed Maruf.

"Then why did us call us conquering heroes?"

"It's a figure of speech, Moron," remarked Maruf irritably.

Mariff sighed- were these really the best scouts that he had? Well he'd have to make do. "So, what do you two have to report?" he asked.

"Well, I eavesdropped on their conversation," answered Maruf. "From the sounds of things, it looked like they were lost. However-…"

"Lost? I thought that the blonde one had started tracing their path," interrupted Moran.

"I was getting to that!" shouted Maruf. He turned to face his superior; "Moron's right though. They're tracing their path through the mud. It's only a matter of time before they find their way back out."

Mariff considered his options-either kill them, or not kill them. He liked the sound of the former. And given that they were finding their path by making a line through the mud…yes, that would work.

"Alright you two," announced Mariff to his two lackeys. "I have a plan as how we're going to-…"

"What's the plan?" interrupted Moran.

"Stop interrupting and I'll tell you!" exclaimed Mariff.

"Yeah, just let him talk will ya?" asked Maruf.

"Sorry."

Mariff sighed. "Now that we've got that point out of the way, I can-…"

"Is this the plan?" interrupted Moran.

"Mariff glared at him; "Moran, one more interruption out of you and I'll end up having five corpses on my hands!"

"Five?" wondered Moran. "But I thought there were only four humans. Wait, I think so… let's see, there was…"

Deciding to let Moran struggle with counting, Mariff turned to Maruf; "We'll let Moron count for as long as he wants to. We'll set off by ourselves. More meat for the two of us."

"Fair enough," shrugged Maruf. "Still, there's actually one more thing that we had to report. We actually managed to acquire some help."

"Really, what?"

"Me," echoed a voice.

It was at this point that their acquired 'help' emerged from the shadows-an amaze. Mariff let out a yelp as it appeared, clutching his trident.

"Calm yourself, vermin. My quarrel is not with you," it soothed.

Looking at the pure white, ghost like creature that bore resemblance to a demented puppet, Mariff wasn't sure if he believed him. Although few, amaze's were dangerous creatures, existing purely to slaughter living things in the name of their departed monsters. When he was a little rat sucking at his mother's teat, he'd often hear stories of how amaze's caught naughty vermin (in vermin society, naughty was a refusal to kill humans on sight).

Still, he wasn't' going to show fear, so he straightened himself up, standing short and proud. "Very well, I'm listening," he said slowly.

"Very well," answered the creature in front of him. "As I'm sure you know, a group of humans have entered Sol Sanctum. Hence, it is my duty to ensure that they don't leave alive."

"Still carrying out your departed masters' wishes?"

"Correct."

Mariff wasn't sure if he believed him. He'd run afoul of amaze's before. Although among the weakest of the Old Gods' creations, they were still dangerous foes to vermin.

The amaze seemed to understand Mariff's worries; "I understand your suspicions. Under normal circumstances I'd kill you on sight. However, there are humans in Sol Sanctum and they're the greater evil here. I'll take the blood. You can have the meat."

Mariff considered long and hard. He came to a decision just as Moran realised what that fifth corpse would be. Finally, he spoke.

"Very well. We have a deal."

**XXXX**

It was now official. Garet hated Sol Sanctum, or at least this part of it. They'd been walking around for what felt like hours and still hadn't found the exit or even the supposed inner sanctum either. The smell of moss had somehow become worse. The torches seemed to be burning out. And he didn't feel like they were making any progress.

So here they were, at another junction. A line stretched to the right. The left was bare.

"Well guys, guess we go left then," announced Isaac, continuing to walk.

"You no, it's weird but I could swear that we haven't been here before," murmured Garet.

"Course we have!" exclaimed Jenna. "There's a line to the right."

"Well, yeah, but…" Garet paused. He wanted to speak his mind, but simultaneously he didn't want to seem stupid and/or paranoid to the female Mars Adept. He didn't have time to consider this properly though, as Isaac, Jenna and Kraden were all heading up the passage. Garet followed but soon stopped. It was a dead end.

"So much for your plan," mentioned Garet sarcastically to Isaac.

"Hey, I never claimed to be a guide or leader," snapped back the Venus Adept.

"Well now we're well and truly lost!"

"Hey, you followed my plan! Don't take it all out on me!"

It was indeed a strange turn of events-Isaac and Garet arguing instead of Jenna and Garet. It was actually a fourth party that stepped in-Kraden.

"Alright you two, calm down," he interrupted the scholar. "Arguing isn't going to get us anywhere. We have to move on, find the inner sanctum and-…"

"Oh, who cares about the inner sanctum?" shouted Garet. "We should be focused on getting out of here!"

"What, suddenly you're the wimp?" exclaimed Isaac.

Jenna couldn't believe what she was seeing. Isaac and Garet arguing, and truly meaning it. Both sets of hands were at the hilts of their swords.

"Guys, stop it! "We're-…"

"**SHUT UP!"**

Jenna recoiled at the fury of the retort from both boys. She didn't understand what was making the boys so irritable. She couldn't sense what was tugging at the back of Isaac's mind, something that seemed to be drawing towards it. And whatever energy it was generating was clearly having some kind of effect on Garet too.

"Not caught you at a bad time have we?" sneered a voice from behind.

Garet and Isaac immediately stopped arguing. Four pairs of eyes slowly turned to the way they came. Four pairs of eyes glinted back at them. Three pairs were the black, pit less eyes of vermin. One pair was the glassy, sunken eyes of an amaze. Two of the vermin were carrying spears. What looked like the head vermin was carrying a trident. He eyed Jenna leachously. Two words came out of his mouth that sent chills up her spine:

"Take them."

**A/N**

_Ah, don't you love cliff-hangers? Maybe. Maybe not. You can tell me in reviews (hint hint)._

_And yeah, this does seem like an odd place to leave off. But all Sol Sanctum has to offer now is the inner chamber-moving statues can only go so far. Even with a flashback, an original scene for Isaac, the fight and a scene between Los and Kite, it could have turned out to be a short one._

_And no, Thorseus is not a typo. Yes, I know that it's Theseus and the Minotaur, and yes, I do know the story. Also, the title doesn't make much sense, I know. It will eventually though._


	10. Under the Eyes of Mud and Stone

**Golden Sun: The Broken Seal**

**Chapter 9: Under the Eyes of Mud and Stone**

Three figures stood outside the entrance to Sol Sanctum. One from Vale would have found this odd, to say the least. Firstly, Sol Sanctum was off limits to everyone but the elders and occasionally Kraden, although there had been a few exceptions in the past. However, looking at these figures, and given the fact that there was an unconscious elder further down the path, an observer would have quickly come to the conclusion that an exception_ hadn't_ been made.

What would have been the final nail to the coffin was that these three figures were Saturos, Menardi and their masked companion. Saturos had easily got the doors open, all they had to do now was wait for Alex. For some of them, that wasn't too appealing a task.

"That's it, I've had it!" burst out Menardi suddenly.

"Patience Menardi," murmured Saturos.

"Why? We could have been walking through the hidden passageway by now! Instead, we're waiting for a good-for-nothing, snide, arrogant Mercury Adept!"

Saturos turned to face her; "Alex is part of our group," he said sternly. "We shall show him a modicum of respect."

"Oh, and under what basis is that?" Menardi was still pressing her point. "What do we owe him? He just turns up a year ago, claiming to have the same goal as us! We know next to nothing of his past, his reasons! And now, he's just wandered off, without telling us where he is, or even when he'll be back! For Sol's sake, do we even need him?"

Saturos had listened to all this calmly, accepting the fact that he'd rarely seen his partner this angry and that she was clutching her scythe so tightly that if she hadn't been wearing standard warrior gloves, her knuckles would have been white (at least, white in regards to the tone of her skin). An uneasy silence between the two adepts followed.

It was their masked companion who broke the silence, as he started chuckling. Menardi turned to face him; "And what the hell are you laughing at?" she asked incredulously.

"Oh, all this 'concern' you have for Alex," he answered. "I never thought of you as a mother figure. Or is it perhaps…another emotion?"

Menardi's face flushed redder than the markings on it. "You hold your tongue and speak only when spoken to," she spat. "You owe us your life!" The chuckling immediately stopped.

"Alright, I've had it, we're entering the Sol Sanctum," said Saturos eventually. Two pairs of eyes turned to face him. "I don't think any of us trust Alex further than we could throw him. While the presence of a Mercury Adept is useful, we can handle the setback." With that, he entered the sanctum, followed by his two companions.

Menardi started walking alongside Saturos; "How do you think the kids are doing?" Not that they saw it, but their masked compatriot leant forward earnestly.

"Well, there's been no sudden storm, so I guess they haven't tripped the switch," answered Saturos with a shrug. "I'm willing to guess that by now they're nearing the end of the hidden passageway?"

"Will they be alright?" asked the masked man, with genuine concern in his voice.

Saturos shrugged; "Should be, I doubt they'll run into any real trouble."

If only he knew how wrong he was.

**XXXX**

Backed against the stone wall, watching Isaac, Jenna and Garet fight for their lives, Kraden couldn't help but slightly admire the vermin for setting up such an elaborate trap. Marking a path of their own and removing the one that Isaac had made when necessary, only attacking when they had them cornered.

Kraden watched as Garet brought his sword down against the vermin he had confronted. At the last second it jumped to the side, thrusting its spear forward as soon as it landed. At the last second Garet was able to knock it aside, sending its thrust off course. Sizing his advantage, he kicked the vermin back, widening the distance between them. A flurry of swings were unleashed against the diminutive creature.

"That's it, keep at it Garet!" shouted Kraden, enjoying all the excitement. Perhaps spurred by the encouragement, Garet pressed his attack. However, the vermin managed to parry the downward blow and thrust forward with its spear, only deflected just in time.

"Careful, that spear's sharp!" warned Kraden.

"Oh really? I never would have guessed," gritted Garet as he sent his sword out in an arc, parried by the vermin. The spears were less flimsy than they looked and despite their size, the vermin were fierce fighters.

As Garet continued to trade blows with the vermin, Isaac and Jenna were fighting back to back. The other two vermin had looped around and were trading blows with Isaac, while Jenna was dodging the surprisingly swift blows of the amaze.

"Argh, this isn't working!" exclaimed Isaac as he deflected the course of one spear thrust at him and kicked away the vermin that jumped at him.

"Well we're open to suggestions!" responded Jenna as the amaze brought its gangly arms down. She thrust her staff in between them and brought it up in an upwards motion, hitting the creature's jaw. Against a human the jaw would have probably been broken. Not so with amaze anatomy.

Isaac was being pushed back and that would give both him and Jenna less room to manoeuvre. Any further towards Jenna and any spear that he sidestepped would go into her spine instead. He needed to widen the distance between them. But how could he do that? Unless…

"Jenna, we'll have to use psyenergy!" shouted Isaac as he brought his sword in an arc against one of the vermin's' necks. The sword was parried and immediately brought back to deflect the trident that was thrust towards his lower leg.

"Alright, then use it!" Jenna brought her staff against the amaze which simply deflected it. It threw a punch at Jenna, who was able to move her head out of the way just in time.

"What can I do? All I can do with psyenergy is move and heal!" Isaac was being pushed further back and was literally touching Jenna's backside. Any attacks that came his way would have to be parried.

Jenna was beginning to realise the same thing; "Isaac, drive them off! We can't fight like this!" To prove her point the amaze charged at her. It would have sent her sprawling if Garet hadn't barged into it, preventing it from making contact.

"Garet, what the hell are you doing?"

"Saving your ass, what does it look like?" Garet quickly rose and fended off the vermin that he had previously been engaged with. He brought his sword upward, causing the vermin to recoil. With the distance between them increased, he cast a flare with his fire psyenergy. A small wall of fire came between him and the vermin. Hoping that the flames would last, he turned his attention back to the amaze.

"Well done Garet, well done!" Kraden, still backed against the wall, was clapping enthusiastically. "A fine display of psyenergy, very...-"

"Kraden, cut the commentary!" interrupted Garet as his flare wall died out, letting the vermin rush at him from behind. Jenna had to stifle a scream as the spear came towards him. There was no way she was going to let this happen, with or without the favour.

Channelling her psyenergy, she summoned a flare wall between Garet and the charging vermin, even more powerful than Garet's. The vermin had been so eager to attack Garet, so eager to get a backstab in and thus earn him the respect of his peers, that he was running too fast to avoid the wall of fire that suddenly appeared before him. The result was the vermin running right into the flames, and stupidly screeching to a halt right inside them. The fire quickly overtook him, eliciting the smell of burning flesh and screams.

"No, Moran!" One of the vermins that Isaac had been fighting suddenly dashed past him, much to the disgust of his fighting partner, the one with the trident. Jenna was frozen with shock, as the flames continued to burn. Flare wasn't a particularly powerful move, but the vermin's constant screams had allowed the fire to enter down its throat.

Isaac's shock was only broken when the vermin he'd been fighting stuck its trident in his lower leg, clearly unmoved by the death of his comrade. Isaac fell down on his good knee, clutching the wound. The butt of the trident came upwards, hitting his jaw, making him fall back first on the ground.

Perhaps the vermin would have continued playing with him, perhaps not. Isaac never found out, as the vermin was suddenly hit by a staff, courtesy of Jenna. It was sent sprawling as Isaac managed to get to his feet.

"You ok?"

"Yeah," grimaced Isaac. "Nice flare, by the way."

Jenna grinned-"you ain't seen nothing yet." With that she rushed forward to engage the vermin she'd hit, which had risen to its feet. As trident and staff met, Isaac cast heal on his wounded leg, letting the golden energy wash over the wound, binding it. It was the only true Venus Adept technique he had, and had been mainly useless up to this point. The flow of blood stopped and he managed to stand upright again.

Isaac turned to face the opposite direction. Garet was still engaged with the amaze. The creature threw a punch which Garet promptly dodged and brought his sword down against the extended arm. It made an indentation, but no other damage could be observed.

"Damit, this thing isn't natural!" he exclaimed. Isaac would have to agree, it seemed like conventional weaponry couldn't harm it. He would have rushed over to help, but suddenly heard a high pitched yell. Turning, he saw the vermin that had rushed past him jumping at him, having left the smoking corpse of his comrade. Isaac managed to punch it out of the air. The creature landed squarely on its feet and charged at him again.

Isaac blocked the blows of its spear easily. Grief was clouding its judgement and hindering its concentration. Isaac could have easily finished it off, but he too was distracted. One of the creatures was already dead. Indeed, it was self defence, but it didn't change the fact that a life had indeed been lost. Did he really have to resort to dealing final judgement?

It wasn't just the issue of morality that was on Isaac's mind. Throughout the entire fight and beforehand, something had been tugging at the back of his mind. It was as if he was being drawn to something, something trying to grab his attention. But what the hell could do that? They were at a dead end with marble walls with torches and a single emerald orb embedded in the wall. Nothing really worthy of receiving special attention.

The thrust of the vermin's spear snapped Isaac out of his worries. He parried and kicked it back. He glanced over at Garet, who was purely on the defensive against the amaze. Garet had impressive stamina, but he was being pushed to his limits. His movements were much slower than they had been originally. The amaze however, showed no signs of exertion as it continued to pummel away. If Isaac was going to help Garet, he'd have to deal with the vermin first. Even if…he had to do what he must.

The vermin charged at him again, bringing its spear downwards. Given the choice of weapon, that was one of the most foolish attacks that one could have done. Isaac easily sidestepped and slashed the vermin across its neck and chest. Blood spurted out as it fell to the ground, dead.

Isaac's breathing was heavy as he stared at the corpse of the monster. It was a case of kill, or be killed, he knew that, but such knowledge didn't make things any easier for him. He'd already proven himself as skilled with a sword. Was this only the beginning? Was he to become a warrior? Did more death lie ahead of him? Felix had once said that it was a tragic fact that killing was something that became easier the more you did it. Hopefully, he'd…

"Argh! Get off me!"

The scream snapped Isaac back to reality. He quickly turned to the source. Jenna was down on the ground with the remaining vermin on her chest, its trident kept at bay only by the fact that Jenna was holding its arm with both of her own. Kraden was paralysed with fear, too shocked and old to do anything. Garet was currently fighting for his life against the amaze, which was pushing its attack even further.

"You fought well," hissed the vermin.

"You too, for a stunted abomination," responded Jenna, with an equal amount of loathing in her voice.

"Insult me all you want, witch. You're going to die anyway." With that, the vermin tossed its trident to its free hand, and brought it down.

**XXXX**

"You alright? Hey, don't strain yourself, take it easy."

Kite continued her vigil over the traveller, who was finally starting to come to. The concussion was wearing off and the pain had slightly lessened. Water was suddenly poured into his mouth.

"Hey, what the-…"

"Just drink it," said Kite sternly, causing fountains of water to rise from the stream via mini tornados and enter his mouth. "You've just recovered from a concussion, your body needs fluid."

Los let the treatment continue. Finally Kite stopped and he took that as his cue to sit rather than lie down. "How do you feel?" asked Kite sympathetically.

"Er, ok." In terms of pain and physical well being, that statement was accurate. His mental state was a different story. Not that he was insane, but there were too many unanswered questions for his liking. Who had conversed with the djinn earlier? And how could a djinn even exist in this day and age? Of course, it was extremely unlikely that the djinn would answer them.

Kite was still hovering over him anxiously, concern showing in her eyes. Los stared back into them… "Alright, what's the game?" he asked abruptly.

"What? What do you-…"

"You know perfectly well what I mean!" interrupted Los. "I come in here, you confront me, I draw my swords, we fight and we nearly kill each other. I end up unconscious. When I wake up, you're all 'lovey-dovey. So pardon me if I find the change in demour disturbing!"

Los was irritated and raising his voice for no real reason and he knew it. However, he could however, identify a source. He'd been beaten soundly by a djinn of all things, and here she was being friendly!

Kite was taken aback. She seemingly recoiled. Los continued to stare angrily. Damit, why wouldn't the creature just fly off, or hurl some lighting at him, just so he could feel that his anger was justified? If he was confronting a human it would have been easy enough, he'd rejected enough females in his order, most of whom were attracted to him because he was seemingly macho in the arena. But this was a frickin djinn, and there was no guarantee that the creature would react in the same way.

Kite eventually spoke-"Very well, if you don't want any more help, I guess that you should be on your way."

"Gladly." Making sure that his swords were sheathed, his 'secondary weapon' was still in his belt and that the chisel and useless gauntlet were handy, Lost started to head out. He could see that the sun was still setting, casting a pleasant band of light over the autumn leaves. He might have appreciated the sight, but he was in too bad a mood to do so.

He halted at the exit. Turning around, he saw what he had suspected. The djinn was hovering after him, doing her best to put on a puppy dog expression.

"Listen, if you think that I'm going to let you follow me out of this cave, through the village and-…"

"Don't worry, I can't go that far," said Kite sadly. "I'm confined to this cave."

"Really, why's that?" asked Los curiously, his anger temporarily abating. "How come you have to stay in this cave? Come to think of it, why do you're able to exist in this world at all?"

Kite laughed bitterly; "There's a large amount of psyenergetic residue in here, enough to sustain my being. If I exit, well, I think you can imagine the consequences."

"I'd rather not," murmured Los. Still, that wasn't completely true. He did toy with the idea of grabbing Kite there and then and dragging her out of the cave to see if her story was true. He decided against it. Kite was being honest with him, and that might lead to more useful information being revealed.

"Listen, I think I owe you an apology," Los said eventually. "Not only did you help me with my concussion, but I nearly killed you."

"Oh, I think you're over exaggerating there," chuckled Kite. "You're fast for a human but that's about it. None of your blows even came close." Partly because of Los's scowl, she changed her demour to one of seriousness. "Still, how did you know about us djinn in the first place?"

Los resisted the urge to swear under his breath. He was the one who was meant to be asking the questions damit, not this bouncing ball of wind. "Er, read about you in some scrolls," he blurted out quickly. That was only a half truth though; most of what he knew about djinn came from lessons with old geysers such as Sclater. In actual scrolls, djinn were rarely mentioned. Apart from the battles at the end of the first two ages, they helped discreetly.

"Oh, I see," said Kite in response. She seemed to genuinely believe it, but Los wasn't going to let her ask any more questions. The creature had said that she'd aided the sages in sealing alchemy at the end of the Lost Age. If she found out that he was a member of those that had left the order, the Rouge Sages as they may have been called, lightning bolts would fly again.

"Listen, I feel I owe you an apology," said Kite suddenly. "I saw you in here and I resorted to violence far too quickly."

"You feeling alright? You're starting to sound like a Mercury Djinn," chuckled Los.

"Maybe," admitted Kite. "But I haven't encountered people in a long time I'm not used to visitors."

"Really? How long?" asked Los curiously.

"Oh, about three thousand years," said Kite offhandedly.

Los's eyes bulged; "Three thousand years? That's from the end of the Lost Age to the present day!"

"True," said Kite remisfully. "I was in here when alchemy was sealed and wasn't able to take shelter with the rest of the djinn. If it wasn't for the large residue of psyenergy that had resulted from the Sage Council, I would have 'evaporated' there and then."

Los could see that memories of three thousand years of isolation were giving Kite a hard time but he let her continue; "The elders of Vale have declared this cave to be off limits, same as with Sol Sanctum. The only people who have ever entered have been foolish children with a sense of inflamed curiosity, and I couldn't risk revealing myself to them."

Los could understand. There was hardly anything interesting about a cave that had the same surface area of a cottage. Those children that did find it interesting and saw Kite would have either run out screaming or view her as some kind of pet.

Kite was actually chuckling; "What's so funny?" asked Los.

'Oh, just remembering one of the rare occasions where children did stumble in," she chuckled. "Happened about eleven years ago. Quite moving." A glance at Los indicated that he really wasn't that interested so she adopted a more formal manner; "When I saw you hammering away, I thought that you might have come to desecrate the tomb within here. Since you only came for some stupid gauntlet, I guess I overreacted." She blushed; "Haven't had to deal with people for a long time."

Los had to agree with her with her assessment. The gauntlet _was _stupid and useless and she did overreact. However, that wasn't what really grabbed his attention;

"Tomb? There's a _tomb_ in here?"

**XXXX**

The process of viewing an event in slow motion is one of the many mysteries of the human psyche. When confronted with danger, or viewing a horrifying event unfold right before you, everything seems to slow. It's been theorised that this is the brain's way of dealing with danger, speeding up the rate of processing images so that it appears that everything is in slow motion, thus seemingly giving the individual more time to react.

Isaac was currently experiencing such a phenomenon as he witnessed the vermin bringing its trident down towards Jenna. He was about ten feet away and in no position to be able to alter the outcome. His friend was going to die right in front of his eyes, and there was nothing he could do about it! In almost blind panic, he stretched running over, stretching out his arm as he did so. He knew that there was no way that he'd be able to make it time, but that didn't deter him from dashing over there. His subconsciousness steeled himself for the inevitable outcome.

Only thing was, the expected outcome never occurred. One second the vermin was bringing its trident down to Jenna's chest and the next, they were both sent sprawling. Given the looks on their faces, they were clearly as perplexed as Isaac was. Kraden however, started clapping;

"Well done Isaac, well done! You've developed your Venus psyenergy even further!"

"What? I didn't do anything!"

"You unleashed movement in the earth," Kraden explained. "The technique is called quake."

By this time the vermin had risen to its feet and was glaring at Isaac with pure hatred; "Use as much psyenergy as you want, you're still going to end up with a trident rammed through your gut!" With that, he let out a war cry and charged.

Isaac was unfazed. Quake had been unlocked inadvertently, but the process of casting it remained ingrained in his mind. As the vermin charged he sent a tremor through the earth, tripping it up. It landed face first on the ground, followed by Isaac's sword which cut into its back, killing it.

Isaac felt guilty, but it the feeling was less prominent than it had been last time. Felix had been right-dealing death became easier as time went on. Pushing the feeling aside, he quickly headed over to Jenna, helping her up.

"You ok?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said awkwardly as she rose. "Um, thanks for-…"

"Heads up guys!"

Isaac and Jenna quickly turned to the source of the shout-Garet had dived aside as the amaze sent out what looked like numerous wisps of red smoke. Seemingly some kind of psyenergy. Jenna ducked under it but Isaac wasn't so quick. The wisps hit him with full force, hurling the Venus Adept against the marble wall with a heavy thud. Green light started to cloud his vision. Kraden was too busy trying to help him up and Jenna and Garet too busy fighting the amaze to notice that the emerald coloured orb was shining faintly.

**Sol Sanctum, Three Thousand Years Ago**

_The girl leant against the wall, breathing heavily. Sweat slicked her golden hair and her white tunic now featured mud in various places. It seemed that fate had it in for her. Not only did she have to bear with the guilt of leaving the battle down below, leaving her friends and family to fend for themselves, but someone clearly didn't' want alchemy to be sealed-apart from those that were attacking the order down below._

_Not only were the vermin extremely active, but she'd had to fight, for lack of a better word, 'living armour', basically walking suits of armour armed with halberds, axes and spears. Physical attacks, even from her Crystal Rod had been useless. Psyenergy was the only thing that affected them and even that had been reduced. What was equally mysterious was how they existed and how they even found their way into the sanctum._

_Well regardless, the mystery would have to be solved later. She walked forward to the emerald orb embedded in the wall, giving it a stream of diluted psyenergy. It glowed brightly until something clicked. With that, the wall began to rise._

"_Come on, hurry up," she muttered as it ascended slowly. A battle was being fought down below and the sooner that alchemy was sealed the sooner the battle and all the other wars plaguing Weyard would end. Unfortunately, the rate at which the wall was rising wasn't helping matters. Finally it reached her eyes in terms of height. Only darkness could be seen on the other side._

_Out of that darkness, came an axe, swiping at her neck in a horizontal arc._

**Sol Sanctum, present day**

"Hey Isaac? Isaac, are you ok?"

Isaac slowly came to, having recovered from the amaze's attack and the image he'd just seen. Garet, Jenna and Kraden were staring down anxiously at him.

"Er, yeah," he said slowly, rising to his feet. A million questions were going through his mind-why had he seen that image? Who was the girl? Why was she the same one that he'd seen in the same image he'd experienced when he'd entered the sanctum? Was it even real, or was his mind playing tricks on him? If it _was _real, had she survived?

His companions were still staring at him curiously, so Isaac decided to break the awkward silence. "So, what happened to the gangly creature that you guys were fighting?"

Kraden grinned; "After you were hurled against the wall, Jenna got a bit…angry. Started casting numerous flares on it. Didn't stand a chance."

"Hey, I cast them too," put in Garet.

"Garet, you were a wreck," retorted Jenna. "By the time I cast those flares you were barely standing."

"Yeah, well you try fighting a creature like that non-stop and see how well you fare."

"Make all the excuses you want, it doesn't change the fact those flares you cast were weak and useless."

"Alright, that's enough," said Kraden firmly. "We've fought some monsters, triumphed and you've all shown an impressive display of psyenergy. This isn't the time to be fighting against each other."

Surprisingly, Jenna and Garet abruptly stopped. Isaac cast his eye to the scene that lay before him. Three vermin corpses, two taken to the sword, the other from being burnt to death. The same two were taken by his own hand. The enormity of such a fact hit him square in the face. He'd felt this way during the fight, but now that it was over, he could truly appreciate what he'd done…and languish at it. Self defence of course, but unfortunately of the lethal kind.

"Say, where's the body of the gangly creature?" Isaac asked, trying to forget about his own bloody deeds.

"We definitely killed it," said Jenna. "After that, it kind of…evaporated."

"Evaporated?" asked Isaac. "How could that happen? Liquid evaporates, and that thing sure didn't look like-…"

"Don't you think I know that?" snapped Jenna. Isaac was taken aback-she was definitely on edge about something.

Kraden cleared his throat; "Anyway, now that the excitement is over, I suggest that we continue searching for the innermost chamber."

"Two problems," said Garet. "Firstly, we've no idea where it is, where we are or how to get there. Secondly, there's no telling how many other creatures are down here."

"What? We've come so far and you just want to turn back?" Kraden stared at them pleadingly. "Surely, a little confrontation isn't going to deter you?"

"Kraden, we were nearly killed, and it was only by dealing death ourselves that that was averted!" shouted Jenna, still on edge. "So pardon us for being slightly 'deterred', as-…"

"Jenna, calm down," interrupted Isaac. Turning around he started heading for the wall that housed the emerald orb. Placing his hands on it, he started channelling psyenergy, the same technique that he'd used when opening the sanctum's doors.

"Isaac, what in Sol's name are you doing?" blurted out Garet.

Isaac ignored him. He could feel a conduit within the orb, the same one that the girl before him (although girl wasn't a good term, she had to be slightly older than him). Eventually, he felt the connection kick in. The wall started rising. Isaac withdrew. The image had indeed been accurate, almost as if they'd been…instructions or something. But why would such a thing be left behind?

"Wow, how'd you know to do that?" asked Jenna in amazement.

"Er, I…could… sense a conduit," lied Isaac, knowing that it was extremely unlikely that any of them would believe him, that he'd known what to do due to some kind of vision.

"Really? But I didn't sense anything," said Garet, not sure if he believed him.

"Well that doesn't come as a surprise," pointed out Jenna.

Garet went to retort but stopped short. His mouth was hanging open and he was staring in the direction of the rising wall. Only thing was, it was no longer rising. Isaac, Kraden and Jenna followed his gaze and reacted similarly.

The emblem of a blazing sun on the floor. Violet tiles. Azure walls. Blazing torches that even illuminated the darkness behind them Statues of angels. A serries of runes inscribed upon the floor.

They'd found the heart of Sol Sanctum.

**A/N**

_And thus the chapter is done (obviously). Also features the first proper fight scene (wooden swords and Los getting his arse kicked by Kite don't really count, do they?). Anyway, reviews would be nice._

_Also, I had a tough time thinking of the title for this chapter. If you want, you can leave suggestions and if I deem it appropriate, I'll change it._


	11. Heart of Sun and Moonlight

Chapter Ten: Heart of Sun and Moonlight

Staring at the innermost chamber of Sol Sanctum, Jenna wondered how she had been impressed by the phoney one with all the statues. How could the fake one compare to this? The emblem of the sun, majestic angels… She was no architect and her experience with such majestic works was limited to the elders' sanctum and Sol Sanctum itself, but she couldn't imagine anything more…perfect. It was a pleasant experience, as it allowed her to push her currently disturbed thoughts to the back of her mind.

Garet was giving the chamber the same 'wow treatment', given that his mouth was once again hanging open stupidly. "Only a matter of time before the inside starts to dry up I guess," thought Jenna.

"Clearly we've found the innermost chamber," said Kraden eventually, his awe clearly coming out in his voice.

"Oh, you think?" asked Garet sarcastically.

Kraden walked forward to the emblem of the sun; "Clearly, this is the mark of the sun," he said. "The heart of Sol Sanctum." He spoke without even facing them.

Garet was silent at this-the scope of the chamber was negating any urge to pick Kraden up on stating the obvious. Jenna was approaching levels of 'inner melodrama' that she liked to avoid, but the chamber was so…majestic that she didn't care. Isaac was staring passively, as if…some kind of connection existed.

"It's just as Saturos and Menardi described it," continued Kraden. "Which means that not only did they find the secret passage but they found their way in here also!"

Garet clenched his fist; "That proves it. They were thieves and they came to rob the sanctum!"

Jenna was snapped out of her awe; "As much as I hate to admit it, you're right. Let's hurry back to the village and tell everybody!"

Jenna and Garet started to head out but stopped as they heard Kraden sigh. "Kraden? What's the matter?" asked Garet.

"We're so close…" he whispered.

"Close? Close to what?" asked Garet.

"Guys, we don't have all the time in the world," pointed out Jenna. Isaac raised an eyebrow-Jenna was unusually eager to leave.

"We've come all the way into the heart of Sol Sanctum," explained Kraden. "To turn our backs on it and leave…"

"What, there's something wrong with that?" Jenna was becoming more and more impatient.

Kraden still had a remisful look on his face; "Sol Sanctum may hold the secret to the origins of alchemy. Could we simply ignore that fact and leave?"

"Origins of alchemy? Now that would be cool!" exclaimed Garet, steadily warming to the prospect of exploring further into the sanctum.

Kraden turned back to face them; "What do you think? Shall we go a little further?"

"What? Why should we?" exclaimed Jenna, a hint of hysteria in her voice. "We have all the evidence we need to have Saturos and Menardi banished from Vale, we should head back right now!"

Kraden sighed and looked to Garet for support. Nothing was forthcoming. The Mars Adept was torn between his desire to explore and his reluctance to disagree with Jenna on such an issue. Seeing that he couldn't expect an answer anytime soon, Kraden turned to his last hope; "Isaac, what do you think we should do?"

All pairs of eyes were now on the Venus Adept, who'd remained silent ever since they entered the chamber. He was indeed in awe at such a sight, but that wasn't the main reason for his silence. This part of the chamber, it felt so…familiar, as if something was trying to draw him in. It was the same type of feeling that he'd experienced in the empty room that the phoney inner chamber had given entrance to. His gut instinct was urging him to say yes to Kraden's request, to continue exploring Sol Sanctum.

Yet despite whatever instincts of his were at work, the rational part of his mind was still working. It reminded him that they'd proven that Saturos and Menardi had indeed been in here, that they had indeed triggered something that caused the storm three years ago, the storm that had taken the lives of his father and Jenna's family. If they went any further, would they make the same mistake as they had?

Passive rage and a desire for revenge were building up inside him and, like his instinctive desire to explore the sanctum, it was forcing the rational part of his mind to take a backseat. "You have all the evidence you need," it told him. "There's no need to risk Vale by exploring further? What good would it accomplish?"

There was also the issue of Kraden himself. Saturos and Menardi had hinted that Kraden had wanted to enter Sol Sanctum all along. Here he was, wanting to explore even further, even though it served them no purpose in regards to exposing Saturos and Menardi for the thieves that they were. If Kraden was trying to use them, why simply fall right into his hands?

Despite the logic of such arguments, Isaac ignored it. He turned to face Kraden; "We may as well explore further," he said calmly. "As long as we don't disturb anything, we should be alright."

"Good point," said Garet, his desire to please Jenna temporarily forgotten. "I'm with Isaac and Kraden, I want to look inside." With the support of the two boys, Kraden let out another sigh, this time one of relief.

In contrast, the look on Jenna's face might have had some fear for her health, given that all colour had drained from it. "You…you guys are kidding, right?" she stammered. "You want to waste more time looking in here?"

"Something wrong with that?" asked Isaac calmly. He didn't like seeing Jenna upset, but, at least to him, there were greater issues at stake.

Jenna seemed to convey a feeling of desperate anger; "There's no reason for us to go on! Why do you want to waste time? We should leave now and not return!"

"But Jenna, aren't you at least curious to see what remaining secrets Sol Sanctum has to offer?" asked Kraden calmly.

Jenna looked to Isaac and Garet for support, but none was forthcoming, although both were looking puzzled at her outbursts. "It…it would be nice," she murmured. "But what purpose does it serve?"

"Why, the pursuit of knowledge of course!" exclaimed Kraden. "Surely that is reason enough to continue!"

Jenna was now staring at the ground sullenly, not wanting to give in but unable to continue her argument. "Jenna, you can always wait outside the sanctum if you want," said Isaac, still puzzled at her outbursts.

Jenna glanced back at the darkness from which they'd entered the sanctum. No way was she going back there by herself.

"No…thanks," she whispered.

"What scared of the monsters?" asked Garet sarcastically.

"Shut up Garet,"

"Afraid that you'll be ambushed?"

"_Shut up Garet,"_

"Afraid that you'll get lost?"

"**SHUT UP GARET!"**

Isaac, Garet and Kraden recoiled, unprepared for such intense anger. It wasn't just that, Jenna seemed to be on the verge of tears. She managed to choke them back as she finally spoke; "Sorry. I'll…I'll explore the sanctum."

Garet walked over; "Jenna, you don't have to. If there's something bothering you-…"

"Nothing's wrong," she quickly said. Too quickly. There was some awkward silence until Kraden suddenly clapped his hands together; "Now that that's dealt with, shall we start exploring?"

He seemed to be waiting for an answer, but Garet and Jenna at least weren't in the right state of mind to give him one. Isaac, like Garet, was looking at Jenna with concern. Whatever was bothering her was intensifying and he didn't like seeing her like this. He was solely tempted to go back on his word and tell Kraden that they shouldn't start exploring, that they should head back to Vale. Whatever he felt towards Jenna wasn't doing him any wonders as far as conviction was concerned.

Still, Isaac knew that those feelings could simply be unfounded, a silly crush. Jenna was a friend, no question about it, but on the issue of them being something more, he wasn't too certain. If he was certain that they were he would have agreed with her, but such was his desire to explore the sanctum that he knew that if it was a crush that stopped him from investigating something that felt like providence, he'd never forgive himself. There was no guarantee that they could come back.

"Yeah, we may as well," he said eventually, wincing at the sound of Jenna's sigh. "We may as well start with these runes here," he continued, gesturing to the runes that were engraved upon the floor below the sun emblem.

Kraden squinted down at them; "Very nice eye Isaac. I doubt I would have noticed them if you hadn't pointed them out."

"What? They're easy to see!" exclaimed Isaac.

"No, Kraden's got a point," said Garet as he walked over, followed by a sullen Jenna. "They're definitely faint, almost as if whoever inscribed them didn't want them to be noticed."

Isaac was perplexed-at least to his eye, the runes were easy to see. Still, he decided not to press home his point. "Whatever. Do you think that you can translate them?" he asked Kraden.

"Should be able to," replied the scholar, taking out a heavy book out of his satchel. He started cross-referencing the runes with the translations provided. "It seems to be some kind of poem," he said eventually. He started to recite;

_Thou hast walked the Path of Sol_

_If unwelcome death doth toll,_

_If Thou art the Golden One,_

_Thou hast been blessed by Sol, the Sun._

_Under the gaze of sun and moon_

_Awaits a treasure, a total boon,_

_Thou must find what that may be_

_With your own eyes you have to see._

_For thou has been blessed by Sol's sight,_

_You are to walk the path of right._

_Radiance hath you obtained,_

_Golden and pure like the summer rain._

_And when combined with the Light of Luna_

_Weyard's salvation shall come sooner_

_But know this, you must be pure_

_If such a truth you are to endure_

"That's how it goes," commented Kraden after the recitement. 'However, there seems to be some kind of after note added;"

_Intruders be gone_

_The Golden One has already come_

There was silence after this. Eventually Garet spoke; "So what was that all about?"

Kraden stroked his beard. "Well, it makes reference to a Golden One, someone or something blessed by Sol. Also aims to deter any intruders. Seems to be a test of virtues. Those with greed would turn back perhaps."

Isaac blinked; "I dunno, seems like some kind of prophesy."

"Well have you ever heard of the Golden One?" asked Kraden sceptically. Isaac didn't answer so he continued; "I certainly haven't, and I'll have you know that I deal with facts rather than silly poems. Now why don't we move on?" With that, he started heading down the side passage that came from the east side of the chamber. Garet, Jenna and eventually Isaac followed.

The passage only went for about ten feet. Nothing of interest, except there was a smaller emblem on the floor, a picture of a golden sun half eclipsed by a silver moon. Kraden had no explanation for this, as to why there'd be a moon featured. However, it began to make more sense as they arrived in the adjacent chamber-exactly the same except instead of an emblem of a golden sun that cast golden light, there was an emblem of a golden crescent moon that cast silver light.

"This doesn't make any sense," mused Kraden. "This is _Sol_ Sanctum. Why is there an image of Luna?"

"Luna? What's that?" asked Garet curiously.

"Not what, who," corrected Kraden.

"Alright, _who _is Luna?"

"Well," began Kraden, clearing his throat. "Luna is a fancy name for the moon. However,"

"I thought you said that Luna was a who!" exclaimed Garet.

"But the moon's a what!"

"True, but-…"

"Argh! Who is what?"

Isaac chuckled while Jenna smiled faintly, still sedate. "Just let him get to the point Garet," said Isaac.

"Thank you," commented Kraden. "As I was saying, Luna is a fancy name for the moon. However, it's also the name of the goddess that it is said that the moon was named after. Same as with the sun being named after Sol."

"I thought that Sol was a god," said Garet.

"True, but the sun bears his name. He's the sun god. Just like the moon bears the name of Luna, as she's the moon goddess."

"Really? But I've never heard of her," queried Jenna.

"Well, religion never made much of an impact on Vale and I doubt that gods and goddesses exist anyway," said Kraden. "But while the name of Sol is widespread, Luna is far less known. There's extensive reference to both in the precious few scrolls that date back to the First Age. Anything after that time however, Luna is rarely mentioned, as if she disappeared. Same as with the Old Gods."

"Old Gods?" asked Isaac.

"Ah, I see that I'm getting off track," said Kraden, ignoring Isaac's query. "If you want to know more about deities you should ask the elders. But that doesn't change the fact that there's an emblem of the moon in a sanctum that honours the sun."

"You know, those runes made reference to a Light of Luna," commented Isaac. "Could this be it?"

"Perhaps," answered Kraden. "But it seems clear that these two rooms are connected. I'll examine this room. You three look further up the passageway," he said, gesturing to a staircase on the eastern side of the room.

"Yes _sir_," muttered Jenna resentfully. Kraden ignored her and started to look around the room for any clues.

"Come on, let's go," said Isaac, taking lead. They ascended up the staircase, determined to unravel Sol Sanctum's secrets.

**XXX**

For what felt like the millionth time, Los was feeling extremely pissed off. Kite had explained that behind the rock walls to the cave was a tomb, in which rested Vani. The name was familiar to Los, like everyone else in his order. Vani. The Jupiter Adept bitch that led the Sage Elite on their quest to seal alchemy. Not that sealing alchemy was a bad thing, but she hadn't harkened to the words of Thelos, choosing to ignore the reasoning behind his words and only cast one set of seals instead of the required two. The same bitch that had defeated the sage in combat. The reason that he had to devote his life to ensuring that alchemy never returned. The-

"You alright?" asked Kite, noticing that Los was looking increasingly angry.

"Huh? Oh, I'm fine," he answered quickly, feeling a similar resentment towards Kite, who had claimed to have helped Vani and her crew. He was solely tempted to ram a sword up her gut (if djinn had them) but decided against it. Not only would he probably have his arse handed to him again, but he reminded himself that the djinn had simply done what she thought was right, no doubt ensnared by the witch's words. Also, djinn needed alchemy or at least some form of psyenergy in the world to survive. He could understand the desire to maintain one's own survival.

There was also the fact that Kite was clearly opening up to him, a sign of trust. There was still an unanswered question, one that was still nagging him.

"Kite," he said eventually. "You've been completely open with me so far."

"What's your point?"

Los sighed; "I want you to answer me truthfully-who talked to you while I was unconscious?"

Kite flinched; "You…you heard?"

"Correct." Los's hand had moved to the hilt of his sword.

Kite regained her composure. "If…if you did hear, you would know that he asked me not to tell you about it."

"But doesn't the fact that I heard him say that change matters?"

Kite sighed. "I guess. But I'm betraying one man's trust due to your own. And if you want me to tell you, you have to trust me also."

"What are you getting at?"

Kite stared at him; "What's your name? Your real name?"

**XXX**

For the most part, Isaac appreciated Garet and Jenna's presence. Loud, sometimes annoying but friendly overall and whose antics could provide a good show. However, walking down the left pathway of a T-junction, Isaac knew that this wasn't one of those times.

For starters, there was the fact that Jenna was as moody as hell, and Isaac could do nothing to cheer her up. He couldn't help but feel guilty that he and Garet were dragging her along in a sense. So he'd let Garet and Jenna take the right path, while he had taken the left. He hoped that he could trust them not to do anything reckless so as to repeat Saturos's and Menardi's mistake, but Garet was as well aware of it as Isaac. Even that lout couldn't be _that _dense.

There was also the issue of Isaac simply preferring solitude at this point in time, wanting to be able to reflect upon Sol Sanctum in peace and quiet, something that Garet and Jenna would have probably denied him. If Sol Sanctum had simply been a work of architecture, no matter how magnificent, he would have probably opted to turn back-not only because of Jenna but also for fear of setting off whatever Saturos and Menardi had three years ago.

However, he simply felt…drawn into the sanctum, like something was dragging at the back of his mind. It was the same feeling that he'd felt with the emerald orb. He could sense a slight psyenergy conduit, that was probably how Saturos and Menardi had got it open. Still, he was nowhere near their (likely) calibre and would probably have never worked out how to work it if it wasn't for that flashback.

Of course, the flashbacks themselves were at the back of his mind. What in Weyard's name was their purpose? Was he going insane? Mt. Aleph radiated psyenergy, perhaps it was some kind of side effect. Still, Isaac knew that was unlikely. Not only could he seemingly hear the girl's thoughts but the second clearly seemed to follow on from the first. And given that they only kicked in at specific times it was as if someone had left memories behind as…instructions, or something.

So it was therefore no surprise as Isaac stopped in front of a stone door, embedded into the wall at the end of the passageway. Another emerald orb was embedded in the door and runes were written around it. Isaac wished that he had Kraden's book with him, but his main focus was on the orb. Repeating the process, he started channelling psyenergy.

Isaac had expected the door to open easily, especially as there was no other indication as to how to open it. No handle, no lever, nothing. However, unlike before, Isaac wasn't making any progress and he knew it. The emerald orb wasn't reacting. Silver runes appeared above the door as he did so but he paid them little heed, considering that he couldn't even read them. He continued channelling, exerting more and more concentration, yet not having his efforts rewarded. Continuing to channel, he felt like he was near breaking point until…something snapped, the same thing that had happened at the sanctum's entrance and the previous orb.

**Sol Sanctum, First Year of the Fourth Age**

_Isaac was becoming used to this process, but he still didn't exactly welcome it. Once again, he could see the interior of Sol Sanctum. The same girl that he'd seen the previous two times rose from a kneeling position outside the same door that he'd previously been trying to open. A bunch of flowers had been left at the foot of the door. Isaac raised an eyebrow, or at least would have done if he'd been there physically-what was the point of flowers here? Was this some kind of memorial? A tomb?_

_The girl was still facing the door, her eyes down at the ground. "May you be at peace," she whispered. "Alchemy has been sealed, your death avenged." She looked up to face the door directly. "None may enter, you may sleep in peace," she continued to whisper. "Only the Golden One shall be graced with your presence."_

_It was clear that something was definitely eating away at her as she seemed to be choking back tears. "Every human life is like a star," she said. Not that Isaac could see it but a tear rolled down her cheek. "It burns brightly, illuminating the world around it, and then fades, lost and forgotten."_

_She had returned to facing the ground, clearly struggling not to break down. "But you…you are different. You continue to shine. You will not be forgotten."_

_Something was tugging at the back of Isaac's mind, the same feeling that he'd experienced from the orb when fighting the vermin. However, while the orb had drawn him towards it, whatever was tugging at the back of mind was trying to draw him away from viewing the unfolding scene. Isaac tried to fight the feeling off. These images always left too many unanswered questions._

_The girl turned to face his direction and Isaac was suddenly overtaken by panic until he reminded himself that whatever circumstances these images had, he could be safe in the knowledge that he couldn't be seen._

_Clearly not much time had passed between the last flashback. She was still the same physically-golden hair, silver eyes, white tunic. However, something was different. Firstly there was the fact that a faded scar went along her left cheek, perhaps where the axe had struck her. Secondly, she had the look of one who'd grown old before their time. She had to be twenty at the eldest but seemed older somehow. It was how Dora had looked when Kyle had died. _

_Isaac followed her as she walked up the passage and headed down the stairs, arriving in the Luna Room. She walked through the connecting passage to the Sol Room when someone put a hand on her shoulder from the side. She let out a small scream but breathed easy when she saw that it was simply a man. Presumably a friend as they hugged each other._

_Isaac, ignoring the greater urge to snap back into reality, studied him. Cerulean hair hung loosely, with a black bandanna tied around it. Light blue eyes gazed upon the world. A sword hung from his belt, a bolt of lighting engraved upon the hilt. A thin black tunic hung around him, implying that he valued freedom of movement. Some might have seen the black and white tunics as conflicting, but the couple gave the impression of unity. Isaac was no romanticist but even he could see the obvious._

_Eventually they broke away. The girl was giggling-"Don't you EVER do that again Abel."_

"_You shouldn't let me," grinned her companion. "Honestly Vani, call yourself a Jupiter Adept?"_

_The one apparently named Vani simply shrugged. There was silence for a few seconds. "So what brings you to Sol Sanctum then?" asked Abel eventually._

_Vani was facing the ground; "Just…paying respects," she said slowly._

_Abel put a hand on her shoulder; "Vani, Robin will always be with you. Don't spend too long mourning that which cannot be changed."_

"_Then what should I do?" she exclaimed. "I was in Sol Sanctum fiddling with the stars while you, Robin and the rest of the sages were fighting for Dale's existence!"_

_Abel sighed; "And what would one more fighter have brought? We've all suffered loss. But life goes on. The Fourth Age has begun. Alchemy has been sealed. Dale has been destroyed but it's already being rebuilt-…"_

"_As Vale," Vani completed, preferring the old name and not seeing why it should have to change in the first place. A vale from a dale. Geographical terms sucked._

_Abel continued; "If there's anyone you should feel resentment towards it should be me."_

"_What? You were on the other side of the village. How could you have helped?"_

"_Well if I couldn't, could you have?" The question was firm but kind and Vani was seemingly consoled in the knowledge._

_Vani sat down against the wall, with Abel following suit. "When are we going to tell them about…us?"_

"_We simply wait for the right moment. Trust me, I'm used to pomp and circumstance. There'll be a big fuss about this, that's for sure."_

_Vani turned to smile at him; "Hopefully not. Still, I trust you."_

_Previously Abel had been smiling too but with those words it quickly vanished. He rose and looked down at her; "Well if you trust me then why don't you tell me what happened?"_

_Vani rose too, with what looked like a flash of fear coming across her face. Isaac was coming closer and closer to returning to reality but he fought it off. "Not now, I can't leave yet," he thought._

"_What…what do you mean?" asked Vani slowly._

"_You know what I mean. The innermost sanctum. The casting of the seals. What happened?"_

"_You…you know what happened," stammered Vani. "The stars were placed. Alchemy sealed. A…life was taken."_

"_Yes, I know that," said Abel. "But something else happened in there. When you came back down it was as if you'd seen a ghost. I know that taking two lives in the space of an hour isn't the most pleasant experience but we'd both dealt death long before then. Something else happened and you're not telling me what."_

_Vani seemed to be on the verge of tears; "Noth…nothing happened."_

"_You're lying to me again Vani. WHAT HAPPENED?"_

_Clearly Vani couldn't tell a good lie so she took a more honest approach; "I…I can't tell you."_

"_WELL WHY NOT?" Abel's hands were on here shoulders tightly and Isaac wouldn't have been surprised if things became more violent than that. "We travelled together. We fought together. We've seen friends die and have them turn against us! Despite all of this, if you can't tell a simple truth, then maybe I'm wasting my time!" With that he let go, turned around and started striding out._

"_Abel wait, I-…" Vani didn't get further than that as she suddenly doubled up and crouched down, clasping her stomach in pain. Abel quickly stopped and ran over. "You alright?"_

_Vani rose slightly and looked directly at him. "There are some things I can tell you," she whispered. She took Abel's hand and placed it on where she had clutched her stomach previously. Isaac could see that Abel's eyes grew wide, with a faint smile forming. He would have continued to watch but he couldn't keep reality at bay anymore. Everything was fading. He let the darkness take him. The pain of casting letting his mind was excruciating, but there was another reason why he wanted out._

_The entire scene that had unfolded. He didn't know how, or why, but there was something that disconcerted him._

_It felt familiar._

**Sol Sanctum, present day**

Garet was feeling uneasy as he and Jenna entered a chamber that split right from the T-junction. Isaac was acting far more quiet than usual and Jenna was even more so. The later fact was particularly uncomfortable as he wondered if it was due to him upsetting Jenna. Unfortunately, the formerly fiery girl was silent, sour and not giving any clues as to why she was this way.

To try and take his mind off his guilty thoughts Garet turned his attention back to the chamber. There was the image of Luna on a square platform in the middle of a stream. Four angels surrounded it, each diagonally adjacent to one of the square's points. Each of them was holding a silver orb. There was an engraved square in front of each of them, as if they were to be pushed onto it.

"Guess we push them onto the squares," stated Jenna bluntly. She moved forward to the statue and started to push, making little headway.

"Jenna, you're never going to get it to move like that," grinned Garet.

"Well then why don't you try?" she exclaimed, giving up trying to push it. "The sooner we move this damn statue the sooner we can get out of here."

Garet had been preparing to use 'move' psyenergy but upon hearing that statement, stopped and turned to face Jenna; "Alright Jenna, what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," she said, perhaps too quickly.

Garet walked over with a grin on his face; "You call Isaac a hopeless liar yet you can't even tell a good one yourself. Kinda hypocritical, don't you think?"

"Damit, will you just go back to moving your stupid statue?" Jenna haughtily turned to face the opposite direction. Garet was undeterred and remained in place. Finally, Jenna spoke;

"It's the fight," she whispered. "This entire sanctum reminds me of what I did."

"But what's wrong with that?" asked Garet. "You kicked ass, that's what you did!"

"Argh, that isn't the point!" Jenna exclaimed, turning around sharply to face him. "I took a creature's life! Sure, it was in self defence, but that doesn't change the fact that there's blood on my hands and there's nothing I can do about it! This entire sanctum reminds me of that fact!"

Garet walked over, putting a hand on Jenna's shoulder; "I didn't think that of all things would be bothering you."

"Well something wrong with feeling guilt?" Jenna exclaimed.

"No," smiled Garet. "But I thought that you of all people would be able to deal with it."

"Oh that's right, just 'deal with it,'" shouted Jenna. "That's easy for you to say!"

Garet shrugged; "Maybe. But what's done is done. If the past gives you trouble, stick in the present till the pain has gone. That's my philosophy."

Jenna smiled. It was the same advice that Garet had given her three years ago, when the pain of losing her family had been at its height. It hadn't completely removed it but Jenna remembered it for being one of the few things that Garet had said that was actually useful. It seemed to be working now also.

"You're…you're right," said Jenna eventually.

"As always," Garet declared, turning back to face the statue. "Wow, that went well," thought the…amorous part of his mind."

"Um, Garet, I-…" Jenna started talking but stopped short.

"Yes?"

"Oh, nothing," said Jenna hastily. "Just move the statue."

Garet raised an eyebrow but soon dropped it and shrugged. He used his psyenergy on the statue, moving it onto the engraved. Silver light shot out of the orb onto a quarter of the symbol of Luna. It seemed almost serene…until a shout rang out;

"Guys, stop, you're about to make a big mistake!"

Garet quickly moved the statue off the square and turned to face Jenna;

"My bad."

**XXX**

It might have been humorous, to see a fully grown man and a hovering djinn engage in what looked like a staring contest. Anyone who actually had an idea as to what it was over however, would have probably started heading out of the cave ASAP. An aptitude for casting lightning bolts and a fine sword arm from Kite and Los respectively would have invoked a sense of caution in most people.

"You still haven't answered my question," said Kite eventually, breaking the uneasy silence.

"And why should I have to, especially since your 'visitor' asked you not to ask me that?" snarled Los.

"I'm betraying his trust for your own sake," said Kite. "If I'm still calling you by an alias that's hardly a sign of your trust is it?"

Los was silent at this. Kite was right and he did want to know who had entered the cave, but… he knew that he was being melodramatic but his name was something that he wanted to distance himself from.

"Come on, it can't be that bad," sighed Kite. "Why won't you just tell me?"

Los sighed; "Someone I once knew was too honest for his own good. Used his real name freely, which led to his death." He glared at Kite; "I won't repeat that mistake."

"Hmm, I see the functionality," said Kite. "But who was this person? Friend? Family?"

Los faced the ground; "Someone that I…respected."

Kite wanted to press the subject but could see that it was troubling Los and a reluctance to open himself up to people was his way of dealing with it. Still, she could sense that he wasn't completely emotionally closed. She'd done a quick peek into his mind while he was unconscious. Quite a few cowboys in there.

"Look, tell me who graced us with your presence and I may let you in," said Los, taking on a different tone. "Too many strange things are happening. Not only do those Proxian bastards decide to show up but we have an individual which bears, judging by your reaction, a symbol which shouldn't even exist anymore."

Kite smiled. Los may not have been an adept but he was certainly more insightful than she originally gave him credit for. "Very well," she said. "I'll tell you what I know."

**XXX**

Garet and Jenna were standing by the statue sheepishly as Isaac and Kraden came running into the room, the later showing more speed than they would have expected. "Alright, what happened?" asked the scholar.

"Jenna/Garet did it!" exclaimed the Mars Adepts, each pointing at their counterpart.

Kraden sighed; "I don't care who did it, I just want to know what 'it' is."

Garet gulped; "I…kinda moved this statue onto the square there," he said, gesturing to the two objects.

"Garet are you insane?" exclaimed Isaac. Kraden held up his hand to silence him.

"You haven't done anything wrong," said Kraden. "But clearly this is some kind of trap."

"A trap?" asked Jenna.

Kraden nodded; "If you'd been in the Luna Room you would have understood. The emblem started glowing and lightning struck a few times. I was nearly hit myself."

"The same mistake that Saturos and Menardi must have made," thought Isaac bitterly.

Kraden continued; "Clearly someone wanted to hide something here. This trap must be some kind of defence mechanism."

"But what would anyone hide in here?" asked Jenna.

Kraden shrugged; "Who knows? Could be the secrets of alchemy for all I know. Anyway, I'll continue to observe from the Luna Room. You three handle the rest." With that, he headed back to the Luna Room.

The adepts were silent for a few seconds until Isaac spoke up; "Oh that's right, let us handle the dirty work!"

"You're in a bad mood," chuckled Garet.

"Well why shouldn't I be?" he exclaimed, not noticing Jenna heading off to the adjacent chamber.

"I dunno, you just seem a little…angsty," said Garet awkwardly.

"Garet, why are you fiddling with statues? Do you want to repeat Saturos and Menardi's mistake?" asked Isaac.

"They said that they triggered a switch."

"So? I think the statue fills that role."

There was silence for a few seconds. "Look Garet, I don't want to cause a disaster. So basically, don't _touch_ anything, don't _look_ at anything, don't _breathe_ on anything."

"Fine," said Garet simply. "But how come you're only giving _me _a lecture?"

"Huh? Oh right. Jenna, the same goes to-…" Isaac stopped short as she was no longer there.

He heard something click from the adjacent chamber. Without needing prompting, he and Garet quickly ran over. It was exactly the same as the previous one except there were two statues instead of four and there was an image of the sun rather than moon. The statues had been moved onto the squares.

"Jenna, what in Sol's name do you think you're doing?" exclaimed Isaac.

"Wow, nice work with moving the statues," said Garet.

Jenna turned to face them; "Don't worry Isaac, nothing happened."

Isaac raised an eyebrow; "What? Nothing?"

"Yeah. I was able to move the statues onto the squares, they cast light over the emblem, then faded. Something clicked, but apart from that nothing happened."

Isaac nodded in understanding. He turned back to face the previous chamber. Hmm, what if…

Suddenly he started walking back to one of the statues and started to cast 'move' psyenergy. "Isaac, what are you doing?" exclaimed Garet, he and Jenna running over. They were too late. The statue went over the square and cast its silver light. They all tensed for a few seconds. Nothing happened.

Isaac smiled and turned to face them; "It's as I thought. Jenna disabled the trap, making it safe to move these statues without triggering it."

"But why place the trap there in the first place?" asked Jenna.

Isaac shrugged; "Beats me. Anyway, let's move the other statues. See what happens."

"I thought you were against that," pointed out Garet.

Isaac shrugged; "Sometimes, risks must be taken to find the answers." With that, they set about moving the statues. Very soon, an image of a sun was over the image of the moon.

It was-

"Guys, get down here quickly!" Kraden had shouted from the chambers below. They quickly obliged.

**XXX**

Isaac was the first down the stairs, Garet and Jenna close behind. If something had happened, he knew that he, Garet and Jenna were the ones to blame, a fact not that appealing to him. Kraden's well being was a concern too, but Isaac still had suspicions about the old man. However, it soon became clear that that wasn't the case. Kraden was standing, unharmed in the Luna Room. At least it _had _been the Luna Room. Given that it now bore the image of the sun, it was now pretty much a Sol Room.

"Look everyone! The picture of Luna changed to Sol!" exclaimed Kraden.

"What? _This _is what you called out to us for?" asked Garet sceptically.

Kraden ignored him; "But apart from that, nothing looks different," he said softly.

"Oh, you think?" asked Jenna. "Honestly Kraden, we thought that we'd triggered the trap again or something."

Kraden gave them his full attention; "Well obviously you didn't. Still, why put a trap here if this is all that happens? Something must have changed somewhere else."

"I think I know what," said Isaac, walking over to what had been the Sol Room. "Hah! Thought so!"

Garet, Jenna and Kraden quickly headed over. Sure enough, Sol had become Luna. "Is this all?" asked Garet.

"No, there's something more," said Isaac softly. He remembered what the runes had said;

_And when combined with the Light of Luna_

_Weyard's salvation will come sooner_

Like before, Isaac could sense a conduit. Two orbs had appeared on the walls. He channelled his psyenergy over one of them. Strangely enough, the other didn't…call out to him. The orb glowed steadily with silver light until there was a flash. A portal opened up in the wall.

"Incredible!" exclaimed Kraden. He quickly rushed in.

"Kraden, wait!" exclaimed Jenna, rushing after him. Without needing prompting, Garet followed suit.

Isaac looked around. They'd probably uncovered too many secrets for their own good, secrets that were never meant to be uncovered. He still walked up to the portal. He paused before entering. He was not the Golden One. Was it wise to do this? Clearly there was another individual that was meant to walk this path. However, he could still know it. Steeling himself, he entered.

The room fell silent. However, a voice echoed across it, somehow preserving the serenity;

"**The Golden One has entered. There is no turning back."**

**XXX**

_More than 6000 words-the longest so far! I actually had an original scene with Kay planned but decided to cut it out. It'll be in the next chapter._

_Yeah, Garet and Jenna are probably a bit OOC but I hope not too much. And yes, I shortened the details of the statue puzzles. Spending more time than necessary on them would have been boring._

_Also, I'm wondering whether I should make the Star Chamber and escape one or two chapters. Feel free to advise me. Making it one big one could make it drag on, considering that there's an original scene for Kay, one for Saturos and co. and two for Los._


	12. Chamber of Stars and Secrets

Chapter Eleven: Chamber of Stars and Secrets

Silence. That was the constant state of the innermost chamber, the heart of Sol Sanctum, the core of Mt. Aleph. Its serenity had been preserved for three-thousand years, ever since the sealing of alchemy. Untouched by mortal men, unseen by mortal eyes, it simply…existed. It was as if time itself had stopped.

However, the serenity of the chamber was clearly at risk of being disturbed, as the Gate of Sol was shining. It might have seemed strange to see what looked like a large doorway which seemingly led nowhere. However, given that its arch was filled with radiant golden light, one would have probably realised that it did indeed serve a purpose.

Out of that light appeared four figures. Three of them adepts, one a simple scholar, one female, three female, all humans. Was the chamber to be disturbed? Given the bungling, clumsy, ignorant nature of man, that would probably have been the first conclusion jumped to. However, all four were gazing in awe. Clearly such insignificant beings were still capable of understanding true grandeur.

"Wh…where are we?" asked Kraden, his voice barely a whisper. A valid question. The gate and the visitors were situated on what could only be described as an island, considering that it was surrounded by water that lapped against the base of its precipice. Numerous pillars of rock were situated throughout the chamber, seemingly haphazardly at first but on closer inspection it could be seen that they were close enough together that they could be jumped to each other.

"Is that…the ocean?" asked Kraden, his voice just as soft as it had been before. He rushed over to the side of the island to look out.

"No, it can't be. The ocean isn't confined beneath earth and stone."

"The ocean? What's that?" asked Garet curiously. Although silent, Isaac and Jenna were equally eager to know.

Isaac expected Kraden to clear his throat, a sure sign that he was going to launch into a lecture. No such action occurred. Such a place of grandeur had successfully appealed to his humility.

"The ocean is a thing of endless water at the end of the world," said the scholar. Given the look on the adepts' faces, they clearly didn't understand. "You would have to see it to understand. There's no other sight like it. Perhaps you'll be able to see it someday."

"That…that would be nice," said Isaac softly. He gazed at the water. Dark as night, yet brought a sense of comfort. Purple lights shone from its depths. If it wasn't for the water lapping against the island, he could have mistaken it for the night sky.

"Hey, what's that?" asked Jenna suddenly. They saw that she was pointing to a statue of a maiden in one of the chamber's corners. It appeared to be holding a glowing object, emitting yellow light.

"Seems to be holding something," said Garet, stating the obvious. "Any idea what it is Kraden?"

Kraden was silent for a few seconds. Eventually he spoke;

"An Elemental Star. One of the Elemental Stars." Suddenly he took on an unexpected fervour; "They really exist…The Elemental Stars exist!"

"I remember you mentioning them," said Jenna. "Elements are the foundation of all matter."

"Yeah, everything is made up of the four elements," said Garet, not wanting to be left out. Stones, wood, even living creatures."

Isaac nodded to indicate that he knew what they were talking about. However, his mind was elsewhere. Saturos and Menardi had said something about Kraden wanting to retrieve "the four stars." Had he led them here for his own purposes?

"Absolutely correct," said Kraden, in response to Garet and Jenna's summaries. "The four elements; earth, fire, wind and water are indeed the source of all matter. Legend holds it that each elemental star is the basis of its respective element, holding its purified essence."

Kraden gestured to the statue that Jenna had spotted; "The Venus Star…the elemental star of earth." He turned to the statue north of it, holding an orb shedding blue light. "The Mercury Star, possessing the power of water's many forms."

Garet felt like this was rhetoric but was too engrossed to pick Kraden up on it. Kraden turned to the statue west of the one holding Mercury, holding an orb that glowed with red light. "There is the Mars Star, glowing red with the fire within."

Kraden turned to the statue south of it, holding an orb that radiated purple light; "And the Jupiter Star, bound with the wind's fury." By the end of it, he was barely containing his excitement. He turned to face the adepts, who were silent. Too silent for his liking.

"How can you be so calm in the face of such wonders?" Kraden exclaimed. "You're looking at the very source of all alchemy!"

"Huh? Don't remember hearing about that," said Garet.

"Well that doesn't come as much of a surprise," commented Jenna.

"Well do you?"

"That's not important," said Jenna, clearly unwilling to admit that she was just as clueless as Garet was.

Kraden sighed; "Haven't I told you this before?"

"Not to my knowledge," said Isaac simply. "How do the stars work?"

Kraden, arrogance coming back to him, cleared his throat; "The stars are the basis of alchemy and the elements. Together, they give shape to the Wisdom Stone, known as the Stone of Sages."

"Stone of Sages?" asked Garet.

"Yes. The stone dominates everything. It is the very essence of the world. I believe that, before deciding to seal alchemy, the Order of Sages was guarding it, just as each of the clans was guarding the star of their respective element."

"That was during the Lost Age, right?" asked Jenna.

"Correct," said Kraden. "Each star was kept in its own lighthouse, and their light gave form to the Stone of Sages. The sages must have retrieved each star and sealed them here, thus dissolving the stone and withdrawing alchemy from the world."

"What Vani and Abel must have done," thought Isaac, remembering his flashbacks.

"So the stone was destroyed then?" asked Jenna.

Kraden let out a hollow laugh; "No, you can no more destroy the stone any more than you can destroy an atom. As long as alchemy exists in the world, or the potential for it to do so, the stone will exist also, or be able to. It is the ultimate basis of alchemy, said to end only when the world as we know it does. Its power is beyond reckoning, able to transmute lead into gold, even thwart death itself."

There was another period of silence at this, the cavern returning to its natural state. "Surely you now understand its worth," said Kraden eventually. "The modern study of alchemy began for the search for this very stone, trying to find if its power could be replicated. It is believed that the Elemental Stars are the key to this."

"I think I get how it works," said Jenna slowly. "These, stars, they have enormous power, right? And the Stone of Sages owes its existence to them."

"Oh, they're powerful alright," laughed Kraden. "With a single gem, one could conquer the world." There was another period of silence at this. Kraden was known to exaggerate at times, but this didn't seem to be one of them.

"So what do we do now?" asked Garet.

"We turn back," said Isaac simply. All eyes turned to face him in surprise. "We've come as far as we are able. We've seen what we need to. We should head back to Vale, tell the elders about Saturos and Menardi and how we've confirmed their story and have them banished from Vale."

Kraden had a look of absolute shock etched on his face. "Is that what you truly believe?" he asked. "Simply turn back? Leave the stars?"

"What, are you suggesting that we take them?" asked Jenna. "I'm with Isaac on this one, we should head back to Vale and alert the Elders before Saturos and Menardi get their hands on the stars."

"But we've already opened up the way into the chamber," pointed out Kraden. "Who's to say that we can seal the portal again, reset all the traps? Surely it would be better if the Elders took care of the stars. And just think, a chance to study the stars, learn their secrets."

"But if we take the stars, we'd be no better than Saturos and Menardi," exclaimed Isaac.

"Isaac, we wouldn't be thieves if we took them to give to the elders," pointed out Jenna,

"Huh? I thought that you were against taking them," said Isaac, shocked at Jenna's change of heart.

"Hey, Kraden's made some good points," said Garet. "I'm sure the Elders would understand. Anyway, weren't you the one who advocated going deeper into the sanctum?"

Isaac sighed. Yes, that was true, but he'd felt a connection back in the sanctum, mysteries that required his attention. This chamber…disturbed him. It was hard to place, but he felt uncomfortable here, as if something had happened.

"Isaac, we'd be letting the world down if we simply turned our backs on the stars," said Kraden, almost pleading. I…I won't lie to you. I'd always suspected that the stars were sealed in Mt. Aleph. I dreamed of retrieving them so I could discover the truth of their nature."

"So you did need us, to allow you access to the sanctum," said Isaac slowly.

"Yes, but all for the sake of science," Kraden maintained. "It's in human nature to seek truths. Would you be willing to work against that?"

All eyes were now back on Isaac, increasing his unease. Kraden was right, he did feel inclined to discover the secrets of the stars, but would it be right to do so? Another period of silence followed. Eventually, Isaac spoke;

"Very well. We'll take them."

"Excellent!" exclaimed Kraden, clasping his hands together without letting the enormity of Isaac's words sink in. He walked to the ledge and prepared to jump to one of the pillars, ready to retrieve the stars. He hesitated, looking down at the water below, his face pale.

"Careful Kraden, it looks slippery," warned Jenna.

"Yes…you're right," said Kraden slowly. The pillars were completely smooth. If one fell, they weren't going to come back up. Kraden stepped back. "It's no use, I can't do it," he said.

"Don't worry Kraden, age, affects all of us," grinned Garet. "Perhaps eighty years ago, perhaps."

Kraden glared at him; "Keep making jokes Garet, that'll get us the stars." He sighed; "He's got a point though, I'm too old to be jumping around."

Jenna suddenly had a brainwave, indicated by her sudden grin and mischievous twinkle in her eyes. "If you can't get the stars, why don't you make the boys get them?" she asked.

"What?" exclaimed Isaac and Garet simultaneously.

In stark contrast to Isaac and Garet, Kraden was quickly warming to the idea; "Oh, I couldn't ask…would you mind?" he asked, showing that he could indeed request favours.

"Um, well…" Garet trailed off, wondering how he could refuse and keep his pride intact. Heights and water weren't his thing.

"You guys would be happy to get them, wouldn't you?" asked Jenna coyly, the grin and eye twinkle still present.

"Er, sure! I'd be happy to!" said Garet. Jenna's eye twinkle and grin technique could get the Mars Adept to do anything she wanted.

"Great, how about you Isaac?" asked Jenna, keeping up the attack.

Isaac mentally sighed. He did have an inner desire to please Jenna and prove himself to be just as capable as Garet, if not more so, but the rational part of his mind was telling him to resist manipulation. However, the amorous side won out. "Sure, I'll do it," he said weakly.

"Oh, thank you!" exclaimed Kraden, shaking Isaac and then Garet by the hand. He reached into his satchel and took out four bags, seemingly made of fine metal. "Here, you'll need to take these with you," he said, giving them to Isaac.

"What are they?" asked Isaac.

"These bags are made of woven threads of mythril. They'll allow you to carry the stars safely."

Jenna stared at him wide eyed; "Mythril? How'd you afford them?"

"What's so important about mythril?" asked Garet.

Don't you know anything?" asked Jenna. Mythril is one of the most resilient substances in Weyard. It's often used in armour."

"Bookworm," Garet muttered.

Kraden smiled; "I…have friends in high places, rich enough to provide me with the necessary tools. I'd stored them in my cottage for such an occasion. Anyway, enough talk. The stars await."

"Come on guys, get to it," added Jenna.

"Huh? Oh right, the stars," said Garet, hopping on the pillars, headed to the Venus Star.

"Isaac, aren't you going?" asked Jenna, employing her usual tactic.

"Yeah, don't worry," he sighed, hopping after Garet, doing his best not to look down. "Damit, why do I let her use me like this?" he wondered.

"I think you know the answer to that," replied another side of his mind. Isaac smiled-it definitely had a point.

**XXX**

"And this is all you can say for certain?

"Yes, anything else would be mere hypothesis."

Los sighed. Kite had told him what she knew about her mystery visitor which amounted to little more than a physical description. Useful if he ever ran into him, but little else besides.

"You do trust me, right?" asked Kite, noticing Los's silence.

"Yeah, I believe you," he said. "Just seems odd that you didn't try to find out more, simply taking him at his word. Didn't you try to find out anything?"

"He told me to ask no questions," said Kite, clearly unnerved by the experience. "Something…something was different about that man. There was great inherent psyenergy, but something else. A different kind of power. For all we know-…

Los raised his hand, putting a finger to his lips to indicate the need for silence. He made a small gesture to the cave's exit. Kite heard it too-the sound of footsteps. Someone was walking around outside. And from the sound of things, that someone was getting closer and closer to the cave.

**XXX**

Kay stopped walking and glanced at Vale Cave. She could have sworn she heard some voices inside, but decided to let it go and continue her stroll. "Probably just some kids playing a silly game," she thought. "May as well let them have their fun."

After giving the flowers that Garet had brutally crushed their proper burial and farewell and salvaging what she could, Kay had decided that she needed to clear her head. What better way than to stroll through Vale, feel the wind rush through her hair, appreciate the colours of autumn, see the sunset. She smirked-if Garet had caught her thinking like that she'd never hear the end of it.

At the thought of her younger brother Kay felt her anger rising. Under normal circumstances that was a rare occasion, as Kay was far more calm and level headed than the rest of her family. Still, she could be angry when she wanted to be, as Garet had found out on numerous occasions.

But what good did it do? Her entire family would tell Garet off and force him to apologise to Kay. Not that that stopped him from being any less clumsy around her flowerbed. It happened so often that she was suspected that he crushed her flowers deliberately.

Kay sighed-the flower crushing wasn't going to end anytime soon. She couldn't help but feel that her parents viewed it as nothing more than a hobby that she had yet to grow out of. Those hotheads would never understand. It was more than a hobby, it was a passion. Perhaps it came from being an elder sister but Kay had a love of seeing things grow. It was definitely a high point in her life when Aaron had been born, knowing that she could see him grow from a little scamp to… well, at this point in time, someone like her _other_ brother.

Kay cast one last look at the cave before heading down the steps that led to where Felix's house had once stood. She smiled faintly-little had changed since childhood in that Garet still went out of his way to annoy her and Isaac and Jenna laughed from the sidelines. Felix tended to pull Garet back in line (perhaps due to general dislike given how he acted around Jenna) but those days were over, what had occurred in Vale Cave twelve years ago would never be repeated.

Kay finished walking down the steps and stopped short. Not due to the destroyed house, which she managed to come to grips with, but at the body lying near it. She quickly ran over and saw that it was Thomas. She quickly checked his pulse. He seemed to be ok; perhaps he'd had a fall and somehow knocked himself unconscious. Still, given the fact that the only thing to fall onto was soft grass, that didn't seem likely.

"Thomas? Thomas, you ok?" she asked softly, lightly shaking him. To her relief, Thomas let out a groan, slowly turning his head to face her.

"Kay? Is that you?" he asked, still a bit out of it. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask the same thing. Why are you lying on the grass? Had a fall or something?"

Thomas managed to sit up and look around. He was clearly in a daze, yet a fall somehow didn't seem to be the case. Something foul was at work here.

"I…I don't know," he said eventually. "I remember coming to pay my respects here and then…ohh, everything's a blur after that."

Kay's gaze narrowed; "Do you think foul play could be at work?" she asked.

"I…I don't know." Thomas was rubbing his brow; "It…it's hard to explain, but…" He trailed off.

Kay nodded in sympathy; "We better get you to the healers," she said, fetching over his nearby crutch. "Can you walk?"

"Yeah, should be able to." Thomas rose steadily to his feet. Kay offered to help but he shook her off. Surprisingly, he even refused his crutch. The largest surprise came when he stood on his own two feet, as if the sprain in his ankle had never occurred.

"My…my ankle's healed," said Thomas, the full enormity of the event sinking in.

"But that's impossible!" exclaimed Kay. "Your ankle's been giving you trouble for three years. How can it suddenly heal like this?"

"What does it matter how it healed?" declared Thomas, slowly walking, the joy beginning to come. "All that matters is that I can-…" He stumbled right into Kay. "Walk again," he finished sheepishly.

Kay resisted the urge to groan at this turn of events. "You're probably still a bit faint and healed or not, you won't be able to walk perfectly." There was a few seconds of silence before Kay continued; "Here, I'll help you get to the healers."

"Thanks," said Thomas, using Kay's shoulder to support himself.

Kay mentally sighed as she helped Thomas along. Although she believed that his difficulty to walk was genuine, she couldn't help but suspect that he was enjoying this, considering that he seemed to be putting quite a bit of weight on.

Having turned twenty a few months ago, Kay was beginning to notice many of Vale's younger men were beginning to cast sideways glances. Some more subtle than others, but not so subtle that she failed to notice. There was no reason to believe that Thomas wasn't one of them, given the rather content look on his face at the moment. To take her mind off things she looked up at Mt. Aleph. Usually it brought a sense of comfort, as if it were a sentinel keeping watch over the village. Looking up now though, it seemed cast a foreboding shadow.

Kay couldn't help but feel that something was amiss. She could only hope that if that was the case, the ramifications wouldn't be too severe.

A fool's hope, as it was.

**XXX**

After jumping from numerous pillars that reminded Garet of the times that he was forced to play hopscotch with Aaron, Isaac and Garet reached the statue which held the Venus Star. Nearing it, Isaac felt…it was hard to describe. As if and the world were one. Like he could sense the feelings of all living creatures, sense the age of rocks. He also felt psyenergeticly stronger.

"So what now?" asked Garet, interrupting Isaac's thoughts. "How do we get the star?"

"We'll probably have to use our psyenergy to lift it into the one of the bags." He handed one of the mythril bags to Garet. "I'll do the lifting."

Isaac walked up to the star. Perhaps he was being over-cautious, but if mythril bags were needed to transport the stars, holding them could be dangerous. He tried lifting the Venus Star from the statue with his psyenergy. It wouldn't budge.

"Something wrong?" asked Garet.

"Yeah, the statue won't release the star."

"Weakling," smirked Garet. "Let me try." Garet did just that. The same result occurred.

"Is there a problem?" asked Kraden from the central island, clearly growing impatient.

"Er, no, just give us a sec," said Isaac. He examined the statue again. A simple maiden of seemingly no real interest. However, something was carved at the statue's base. Isaac knelt down to look.

"Isaac, the star isn't on the floor," said Garet.

"Shut up," Isaac murmured, wanting to concentrate on the symbols. They looked like they could be turned. One bore the symbol of a stone, fireball, hurricane and water drop descending upon a globe, the same symbol that had been at the sanctum's entrance. The other showed a lightning bolt descending upon a globe. Apart from what was descending, it was exactly the same, apart from the fact that the former was glowing with silver light.

Isaac decided to turn the symbol with the four elements. Upon completion, the silver light stopped and there was a clicking sound, accompanied by a soft rumble. Looking up, he saw that the statue had released the Venus Star, which was hovering above it.

"Well, that was convenient," said Garet slowly. Isaac used his psyenergy to move the star and dropped it into the mythril bag.

"Excellent job boys!" called out Kraden. "Now go get the next one."

"Yes _sir_," Garet muttered. Isaac was silent-they'd actually taken one of the stars. Were they doing the right thing? Was it too late to turn back? Given that Garet had started to head towards the Mercury Star, Isaac didn't have time to ponder such thoughts.

Soon enough (not in Kraden's mind), Isaac and Garet reached the Mercury Star. Both adepts felt as if soft water was washing over them, a kind of cool, calm feeling. Garet seemed kind of off colour, but given his dislike of anything to do with water, Isaac wasn't too surprised. They followed the same procedure as the Venus Star and put its Mercury counterpart in another mythril bag. A slightly louder rumble occurred.

"Good, good!" exclaimed Kraden, his excitement rising. "Now go fetch the others."

"Calm down Kraden, you're as giddy as a schoolgirl," said Jenna, watching the old man in amusement.

"Yes, I guess you're right," said Kraden. "I have to keep my dignity."

"Well you're failing so far," murmured Jenna, seeing that Kraden's excitement wasn't diminishing. She turned her attention back to Isaac and Garet, who were now heading for the Jupiter Star, as the positioning of the pillars didn't allow them to head straight for Mars.

It was humorous in a way that Jenna could make Garet dance to her tune so easily. The reason wasn't that hard to find, as it was blatantly obvious that he had a crush on her. She decided to let him continue to attempt to flirt, it made for an amusing show. Plus, it was rather flattering in a way.

Isaac was far more emotionally stable and knew something about subtlety, but Jenna could still tell that he felt something for her, something that went slightly beyond the bounds of normal friendship. Luckily, he wasn't as obnoxious as Garet.

However, the overall humour was dampened in that Jenna knew that deep down (although she'd never admit it) the feelings that Garet and Isaac showed were partly mutual. They'd been friends since childhood, perhaps it was inevitable. Still, Jenna couldn't help but feel slightly guilty in letting their emotions fester. Did this make her a flyer? Was it moral to let this behaviour continue?

Jenna wasn't particularly reflective but she'd been given the issue some thought in recent times. Isaac was calm, collected and the only person who was constantly there for her after she'd lost her family, the only one who could relate to what she'd been through. Although rather quiet, he'd still willingly engage in friendly conversation and had a sense of humour. And although his nature didn't allow it to show too often, he definitely possessed deep compassion.

Garet was a different story-loud, sometimes annoying, direct and clumsy. Still, anyone who knew him well could see that he always had good intentions, if not always adapt at expressing them. He was funny to be around and was always willing to stick up for his friends. He was clearly concerned for Jenna and Isaac's well being after the boulder struck and was the only one who's company Jenna didn't resent apart from Isaac. Plus, there was no denying that their personalities were distinctly similar.

Unless something drastic happened, Jenna knew that if there was ever someone that she wanted to be with, it would have to be Isaac or Garet. Relationships were encouraged at their ages and if it wasn't for the fact that Jenna was torn between the two, she might have already conformed. Still, she was beginning to realise which one she truly had feelings for, reassuring herself that she'd tell him someday before Isaac and Garet's friendship was ruined. However, that still meant that the other would have to bear with the pain of rejection.

Given that Isaac and Garet were only halfway towards the Jupiter Star, Jenna knew that they weren't going to get out of this chamber anytime soon. She turned back to face the gateway that they'd come through. Its golden light was majestic, but what really caught her attention were the runes inscribed along its arches.

"Hey Kraden, any idea what these runes say?"

The scholar turned to face the arch, frustrated at Isaac and Garet's slow progress, at least slow in his mind.

"Hmm, should be able to," he said, taking out his translation book from his satchel. He spent a few minutes deciphering them before coming to a conclusion.

"Seems to be another poem," he said, showing Jenna the translation.

_Here before you are the Alchemy Stars,_

_Jupiter, Mercury, Venus and Mars._

_Honoured traveller, do take heed,_

_Destruction awaits the sin of greed._

_But for those whose heart is pure,_

_Great catastrophe shall they endure,_

_As this chamber was a battlefield long ago,_

_Remove the stars and it shall again be so._

Slightly cryptic, but clearly a warning. Jenna turned to face Kraden, a look of fear on her face. "What?" asked the scholar.

"Kraden, it's clearly a warning," said Jenna, a sense of urgency in her voice. "We shouldn't be taking the Elemental Stars."

"What, suddenly you're backing out?" exclaimed Kraden. "I thought that we agreed that taking the stars was for the best!"

"That was before we read those runes," said Jenna simply. "I'm warning Isaac and Garet."

Jenna turned to face the opposite direction, seeing that Isaac and Garet had nearly reached the Jupiter Star. She expected Kraden to protest, but he was oddly silent. If catastrophe was to come of this, this had to stop now. She reached the edge, ready to-

"Make a move or sound, and it will be the last thing you ever do."

The voice was filled with malice and sounded familiar. What was truly on Jenna's mind was that a scythe had come around her neck.

Catastrophe had come.

**XXX**

After many gravity defying leaps, Isaac and Garet reached the Jupiter Star. It felt like there was a breeze wafting by, a sense of calm. For some reason though, Isaac felt slightly…uneasy. There was something about this star that he didn't like. Regardless, he and Garet followed the same process. An even louder rumble occurred.

"Is it just me, or are those rumbles getting louder?" asked Garet.

"Definitely the former," answered Isaac, paused in thought. "Perhaps we should-…" He trailed off.

"What?" asked Garet. He followed Isaac's gaze, seeing what he saw. "Shit," he murmured.

Crude, but appropriate, given that Isaac and Garet were definitely in a world of shit right now, considering that Jenna and Kraden were on their knees, a scythe around Jenna's neck and a long sword at the back of Kraden's. Their wielders were none other than Saturos and Menardi respectively. Jenna's staff and Kraden's satchel lay sprawled nearby.

"It looks like they've spotted us," mused Saturos.

"So what difference does it make?" asked Menardi. "It's not as if they can do anything."

"You want to put that to the test?" snarled Garet, his hand on the hilt of his sword, his anger rising.

"Garet, calm down," said Isaac, restraining him. "We won't do Jenna and Kraden any good by acting rashly."

"I'd listen to your friend if I were you," said Saturos smugly. "There's no reason for things to become unpleasant. Just hand over the stars and we'll let you all go."

"So, it is true!" shouted Kraden. "You do mean to steal the elemental stars!"

Menardi let out a hollow laugh; "That's rather hypocritical, wouldn't you say? Weren't you in the process of removing them yourselves? Didn't you only know how to get this far into the sanctum due to our information? Didn't you lead your students in here just so you could obtain the stars?"

"That…that was…" Kraden trailed off, unable to rebuke those points.

Saturos turned to face Isaac and Garet; "See, we aren't so different. I think-…"

"We're nothing like you!" shouted Isaac, his anger rising rather than Garet's. "We at least set worth on the value of life!"

"Indeed?" sneered Menardi. "We saw the bodies of three vermin on our way here. I suppose you set value on their lives too?"

Isaac's face stiffened, Menardi bringing up unpleasant memories; "That was self defence," he said. "At least we didn't cause the storm three years ago!"

"What?" exclaimed Jenna. She would have faced Saturos and Menardi if the scythe around her neck hadn't prevented her from doing so. "Is this true?"

Saturos sighed; "Yes, it is. We were careless and inadvertently triggered Sol Sanctum's trap, which-…"

Saturos was interrupted by Jenna as she battered Menardi's scythe aside, swiftly rose and launched herself at her female captor, screaming in rage. She never made contact, as Menardi brought the butt of her scythe around, hitting Jenna in the forehead with such force that she fell back down on the stone floor. Menardi kicked Jenna's staff into the water with one foot and placed the other down on Jenna's neck.

"Try something like that again and your body will be with your staff," she snarled.

"You…you filthy murderers," Jenna rasped, due to lack of air.

Menardi placed her foot down harder; "Why don't you say that again, little girl?"

"That's enough!" yelled Garet. "You so much touch one hair on her head and I'll…I'll…" He trailed off. There was nothing he or Isaac _could _do. Their psyenergy didn't have the range or power to do anything and they'd never reach Jenna and Kraden in time if they tried using their swords.

"Do nothing," Saturos completed, nodding at Menardi who lessened the pressure on Jenna's neck. Jenna barely noticed though, she was still staring at Menardi hatefully, one of those who had caused the deaths of her entire family, all for their own selfish purposes.

"There's no need for hostilities," continued Saturos. "Simply give us the stars and we can avoid any ugliness."

"Ugliness for you perhaps," rasped Jenna. "What will you do with us once you have them?"

"Probably do us in, as they'll have no use for us," said Kraden solemnly.

Saturos pressed his sword against Kraden's neck with more vigour; "You barely know us old man and you're already assumptions? Rather rash, wouldn't you say?"

"We know enough!" shouted Isaac. "You want the stars for your own ambitions!"

Saturos went to say something but Menardi interrupted him; "Don't waste your breath Saturos, they're Valeans after all, wrapped up in false truths."

Jenna continued to stare at her captors with pride and hatred showing in her eyes; "What's…false?" she asked.

"Nothing that concerns you," snapped Menardi. She faced Isaac and Garet; "Stop stalling and give us the stars!"

"We'd rather not, no reason to hasten our deaths!" he snarled.

"Relax, you will not be hurt," drifted a voice.

All eyes turned to the source of the voice. Another individua had entered through the portal. He seemed to be in his late teens, his face hidden behind a blue mask. Dark brown hair tied up in a short ponytail could be seen. A broadsword hung from his belt. A light green tunic with leather armour could be seen, along with grey trousers and a light green travelling cloak.

He walked over to Saturos; "That was our agreement, was it not?" Jenna raised an eyebrow-there was something familiar about him-his voice, his stature…

"Bout time you showed up," murmured Saturos. He turned to face Isaac and Garet; "It depends on how well they co-operate."

"They'll be safe as long as they hand over the Elemental Stars," said Menardi. "Isn't that enough?" The newcomer nodded.

"Alright, you heard us," said Saturos. "If you wish to save your friends, then give us the Elemental Stars. The alternative is making this chamber a tomb! Which will it be?"

Isaac and Garet looked hopelessly at each other. Although the newcomer didn't seem to radiate evil in the same way that Saturos and Menardi did, he was clearly on their side. They were outnumbered and inferior psyenergeticly. Not appealing odds. Isaac glanced at Jenna, still at Menardi's mercy. The Elemental Stars were powerful, but were they worth a human life? Given that the life currently at risk was Jenna's, Isaac knew what the answer was.

"Alright, we'll hand them over," he said in a monotone.

"No Isaac, you must not give them the stars!" yelled Kraden.

"Why would you deny us? Surely these terms are acceptable," said Saturos.

"Please Kraden, don't make this more difficult than it already is," pleaded the newcomer. He turned to face Jenna. "Please, I don't want to see anyone hurt."

Jenna raised an eyebrow; "Who are you?" she whispered. The newcomer turned away, almost as if ashamed.

"If we give you the stars, what guarantee do we have of our safety?" asked Kraden, ever the diplomat.

"Guarantee…" mused Menardi. "Ah, I have one." She turned to face the newcomer. "You'll have to remove your mask."

If the man's face was visible, one would have seen that all its colour had been drained. "Th…that means…" He looked at Saturos for support.

"Ah, a fine idea," said Saturos, no support forthcoming. "He will be our guarantee."

"What's up with this?" Garet asked Isaac.

"Your guess is as good as mind," said Isaac vaguely. Most of his attention was focussed on the masked man. Damit, why was he so familiar?

"Given the circumstances, we have little choice," continued Saturos. "Felix, remove your mask!"

"Felix?" asked Kraden to Jenna. "Wasn't that the name of your brother?"

"Kraden, don't jump to conclusions. My brother's dead, killed by…_these people_," said Jenna, loathing in her voice.

"He…he said Felix didn't he?" asked Garet to Isaac.

"So he shares the name of Jenna's deceased brother," said Isaac. "He's obviously a different Felix."

There was an uneasy silence. "What's wrong Felix, don't you want your friends to feel safe?" Menardi asked smugly.

"Fine. I'll…I'll do it," said the man, apparently named Felix. "I'll…take off my mask." He turned around so that his back was facing them He took the mask off and tossed it through the portal. With a sigh, he turned to face them, his visage clearly visible.

"It…it's not possible," Jenna gasped.

The Felix that had died three years ago and the Felix that stood before them.

They were one and the same.

**XXX**

_Not exactly a cliff-hanger, but it seemed like an appropriate place to leave off. I'm generally pleased at how this turned out. Anyway, there's some stuff I'd like to point out._

_-Los knows what the stranger looks like, but I intentionally didn't give a description in the paragraph so you don't know who it actually is, rather than being skimpy. He'll know him when he sees him. You guys won't (insert evil laughter)._

_-I hope Jenna didn't come off as too much of a flyer. It's clear that she holds feelings for both Isaac and Garet, but one in particular. And no, I'm not saying who. (Insert groans from Valeshippers and Flameshippers)._

_-Menardi may seem unusually aggressive towards Jenna, but that aggression presents itself through much of the game. I decided to kick start it early._

_-I probably could have made the obtaining of the stars more descriptive, but I doubt that you'd be too interested in reading about that._

_-I decided to cut out the shooting up of pillars and only leave the rumble. Seriously, if that happened, I think it would be pretty obvious that removing the stars was a bad idea._

_-Yes, this title is based on "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets." So sue me._

_Ok, I think that's everything. Reviews are appreciated. _


	13. The Broken Seal

**Golden Sun: The Broken Seal**

**Chapter 12: The Broken Seal**

"It's alright Kite, you can come out now."

It was humorous in a way that a djinn, an elemental spirit and consequently among the most powerful forces on Weyard if properly utilised, was hiding at the back of a cave due to a simple Valean walking past outside, especially since that same djinn had handed a skilled warrior's arse to him. Still, as Kite emerged from behind a rock, she reflected that discretion was the better part of valour.

"So who was it?" she asked Los, who was currently leaning against the rock wall and tossing one of his shortswords up and down in a rotating motion.

"Oh, just some girl, nothing to worry about," he said airily, continuing with the sword flipping. He glanced out of the cave. "Kinda attractive too. Can't see her from here though."

"Ohh, got a girlfriend have you?" asked Kite mischievously. "Saw the love of your life walk by, rushed out of the cave to tell her how you felt-…"

"Aw come on, you don't seriously believe that a passing comment has any bearing?" exclaimed Los. "Seriously, if you believe in the whole 'love at first sight thing' you're completely deluded."

"Ah, so you can't follow the girl who just walked by because you've already found someone," said Kite, continuing up her attack. It reminded her of old times, when she'd worked with Vani. Humans would never admit how they felt about others.

"Th…that's not true," said Los, the words coming out firmly, yet still conveying a sense of awkwardness. Kite simply stared at him, waiting for him to elaborate.

"Anyway, what would you know about love?" asked Los, deciding that attack was the best form of defence. "You're simply an elemental who's lived in a cave for three thousand years. What experience could you have?"

"Quite a bit actually," said Kite. "I've seen humans battle with amority before. Heck, there's even examples of it among my own kind."

Los raised an eyebrow-djinn experiencing amority? That was a new one. "Really, how so?" he asked. He knew that this conversation was becoming pointless, but what else did he have to do? He may as well waste time with Kite and wait for Herbert to show up.

Kite giggled as she reflected on times gone by; "Oh, there was this Venus djinn I used to know. Had absolutely no idea how to hide a crush. Never ceased to…" Kite trailed off.

"Never ceased to what?" asked Los. Kite didn't answer, she simply drifted to the cave's entrance, staring up at Mt. Aleph.

"What is it? What's wrong?" asked Los as he walked over, genuine concern in his voice.

"The Seal of Sages," whispered Kite, her eyes fixed on the mountain. "It's nearly broken…"

**XXXX**

The innermost chamber of Mt. Aleph, the chamber that had housed the Elemental Stars for three millennia, had had its serene silence interrupted by the tongues of men only around ten minutes ago. After ten minutes, silence had returned. However, there was nothing serene about the lack of sound this time. Instead, an ominous feeling pervaded the air.

There were a few reasons for this. One was that Kraden was on his knees with a longsword pointed at the back of his neck. Another was that Jenna was lying on the ground with Menardi's foot on her neck. However, the silence was ultimately due to one single reason-the fact that Felix, an individual who had seemingly died three years ago, stood before them.

"Felix…is it really you?" whispered Jenna. Menardi allowed her to rise and head over to her brother.

"Yes…your eyes aren't mistaken," Felix answered simply, the situation clearly awkward for him.

A tear trickled down Jenna's cheek. Three years of being alone. Three years of thinking that she was the last surviving member of her family. "How…how did you…"

"Survive?" asked Felix. He sighed and faced the ground. "Nothing short of a miracle really. Saturos and Menardi found me unconscious in the river," he said, glancing at his benefactors. "I've been with them ever since. For the past three years, I've learnt a lot and experienced much more."

"But…but why did you leave me all alone?" asked Jenna, the tears still coming down. "Why not return to Vale?"

"Jenna, I couldn't," said Felix. "I owe too much to Saturos and Menardi."

"Owe them? How could you owe them anything?" Jenna exclaimed, Felix recoiling slightly.

Jenna's grief had taken a backseat to rage; "How could you say that? For three years I thought that you'd died along with our parents! Instead, you decide to show up three years later, working with these…**murderers**! What the hell is wrong with you? I thought you were dead!"

Jenna launched herself at Felix but Saturos simply grabbed her arm and flung her down on the rock. Jenna simply sat there, glaring at Felix.

"Jenna, please, I'm your brother," said Felix, sorrow clearly showing.

"Don't lie," said Jenna sullenly without even looking at Felix. "My brother died three years ago. All I see before me is a filthy traitor."

Felix walked forward but Saturos interposed; "Save the teary reunion for later Felix. If you and your sister want to kill each other, do it on your own time."

"That's right, the Elemental Stars come first," said Menardi, facing Isaac and Garet, who'd remained silent up to this point. "Surely you find this acceptable?" she asked them. "Felix would never allow any of you to come to harm."

"I wouldn't be too sure of that," muttered Garet, barely suppressing his anger. As children he and Felix weren't exactly the best of friends, but they still managed to get on. Standing here though, watching the effect that his betrayal had on Jenna, he felt nothing but pure hatred to the man who, in his mind, should have stayed dead.

Isaac remained silent. His primary impulse at this moment was to go and comfort Jenna, but such a move might be interpreted as a threat. There was also the issue of Felix. Was this really a guarantee? Felix seemed to have moral decencies, but he'd clearly thrown in his lot with Saturos and Menardi. Could he still consider Felix a friend, someone worthy of his trust?

"Please, you have to do this," said Felix, almost begging. "Weyard needs alchemy returned. If only you knew the truth, you'd-…"

"Fine, we'll hand them over!" shouted Garet. Isaac simply nodded. There was nothing else that they could do.

Felix sighed in relief. "Thank you. You don't know how much this means to us."

"Can the melodrama Felix, we're only doing this to save Jenna," snarled Garet. "And Kraden," he added as an afterthought.

"Garet, calm down," said Isaac, preparing to jump over the pillars. "Anger isn't going to accomplish anything." With that, he started jumping. Garet followed. Not that the process lasted long. There was a flash of white light and a man appeared on the pillar before them.

"Holy shit, where'd you come from?" exclaimed Garet, drawing out his sword. The man appeared unfazed, simply stared at him.

"A good question!" yelled Menardi. "Alex, where the hell have you been?"

" Oh, out and about," said Alex simply, without even looking at her "Business to attend to in Vale."

"As much as I hate to say it, Alex is another one of our companions," said Saturos. "Give the stars to him."

Alex noticed that the golden haired teenager had drawn his sword also. He raised an eyebrow-the spiky haired one was clearly a clumsy lout that was beneath his notice, but the other one seemed…familiar somehow. He shook the feeling off. He was probably being paranoid.

"I take it that you heard Saturos," said Alex calmly. "Or do I need to repeat his words?"

"No, we heard him the first time," muttered Garet as he handed over the stars. "Great, after we did all that work…"

"Thank you for your co-operation," said Alex. He started to rise into the air, clearly using psyenergy to…levitate. Isaac's eyes grew wide-teleportation and levitation were impossible! How was this man doing it? And why did he seem so familiar?

"Something the matter?" asked Alex simply, noticing Isaac's shocked visage.

"No, nothing," he said softly.

"Good, then you can go get the Mars Star" With that, Alex began hovering towards the central island.

"Wait! You'd say that you'd let Jenna go once we gave you the stars!" exclaimed Garet.

"Oh, did you misunderstand us?" asked Alex, his tone coming close to that of sneering but instead coming out as a simple question. "We wish to have all the stars. You two are the delivery boys."

"But, but…" Garet stuttered.

"Oh quit stalling!" yelled Menardi. "Just fetch the Mars Star. The sooner that we receive it the sooner that you can get your 'girlfriend back."

Isaac put a hand on Garet's shoulder; "Come on Garet, we better do as they say. There's nothing we can do."

"Quite right," said Alex simply. "I'll be waiting with the others." With that, he hovered over to them.

"If he can hover, why doesn't he get it himself?" Garet muttered.

"It's probably best if we don't ask," said Isaac, seeing that the one named Alex was standing between Felix and Jenna, seemingly ready to act as a moderator. That probably wouldn't be necessary though. Jenna had risen to her feet, but was facing the ground sullenly.

"Come on, we better get the Mars Star," said Isaac, taking the lead. Garet followed.

**XXXX**

It felt like an eternity for Isaac and Garet to reach the Mars Star, but it actually only took around five minutes. Every second that passed was a second where Jenna and Kraden were held captive. Finally though, they'd reached the Mars Star, warmth washing over their faces. Apart from that, it was exactly the same setup as the others.

"Want me to get it?" asked Isaac.

"Sure, go ahead," murmured Garet, primarily concerned with wondering how he could grant Jenna's captors the painful deaths that they deserved.

Isaac withdrew the Mars Star and put it in the mythril bag. Like the other times, a rumble could be heard. However, this time was different. Not only was the rumble the loudest so far, but it wouldn't stop. The final nail in the coffin was the fact that cracks started appearing in the ground, the pillars started to collapse and the water began to evaporate.

"What's the matter? What happened?" exclaimed Menardi.

"Without the energy of the stars, the chamber is collapsing," said Alex, unusually calm given the situation.

And what did this situation encompass? What had caused Mt. Aleph to become active again? The answer was obvious:

The seal had been broken.

**XXXX**

"It's been done," whispered Kite, her voice barely audible above the rumble that Mt. Aleph was generating.

"What's been done? What happened?" exclaimed Los.

"The…the seal has been broken," said Kite. "Alchemy has the potential to return."

All colour drained from Los's face. Could…could Saturos and Menardi have actually done it? "You…you are sure?"

"Look at the mountain, surely that's evidence enough," said Kite.

Los did just that. Mt. Aleph was supposed to be inactive, but given the rumbling that was emanating from it that clearly wasn't the case. Without a word, he dashed out of the cave, headed for the path that led up the mountain.

Kite watched him go, her heart pounding. Her gaze shifted to Mt. Aleph, rumbling violently. Fear took hold of her.

If the seal had been broken…_they_, would return.

**XXXX**

If any of the individuals had been hoping beyond hope that the violent shaking and steady destruction of the chamber would cease, they would have been solely disappointed. The destruction had increased, with huge fissures opening up in the chamber's base. Water gushed into them with steam coming out in return.

"Guys, we have to get out of here," said Felix, fearing for his sister's life along with those of Isaac, Garet and Kraden. They'd been dragged into this and he had no wish for them to suffer for it.

"Not without the…oh by the gods," Saturos breathed.

"Saturos, what are you…oh." Menardi trailed off.

It soon became clear what had caught their attention- down in the deepest fissure, unharmed by the falling rocks, a giant boulder was rising steadily. A single baleful eye could be seen, the only feature on its grey, knobbly surface. It seemed to radiate pure power, filling the chamber's occupants with awe.

"The Wise One, the guardian of the Elemental Stars?" Saturos exclaimed. "I thought that it was mere legend!"

"Clearly not," said Alex simply. He gazed at the rising being. "Such power…incredible!" A hungry look flashed across his face, but only for a moment.

"What the hell is that thing?" Garet asked Isaac.

"Apart from it being a rising boulder, you've got me," replied the Venus Adept. As if to answer his question, a deep voice emanated across the chamber, seemingly the voice of the Wise One yet not emanating from him;

"**What was carried out three millennia ago has been undone. As promised, I have returned to the world of mortals, to act as necessary. Already the world begins to change. Darkness stirs under Tunundria. The winged ones renew their assault. Those beyond the world turn their attention to us. The Old Ones look southward. Lesser creatures rise in strength. Such is the price of breaking the seal. Judgement shall be delivered."**

"This doesn't look good," murmured Felix, seeing that the Wise One only had to rise about fifty metres before exiting the fissure. "Maybe we should escape while we can."

"What about the Mars Star?" exclaimed Menardi.

"We're no match for the guardian!" shouted Saturos. "The Mars Star will have to wait." He strode over towards the portal.

"What about Isaac and Garet?" exclaimed Jenna. "You can't just leave them here!"

"Forget them, they're as good as dead," Saturos murmured.

Jenna rushed at him but Menardi held her back; "Stay in line girl," she hissed. She turned to Saturos; "But there's every chance that they could survive," she said.

Saturos glanced down at the fissure, seeing that the Wise One only had to ascend about twenty-five metres. "Anything is possible," he said. "Suggestions?"

There was silence before Alex answered; "We take Kraden and this 'Jenna with us. If they survive, they will want them back, likely using the Mars Star as a bargaining tool."

"Agreed," nodded Saturos. He went to enter the portal but Felix stopped him.

"Saturos, are you breaking our promise?" he said, anger building up. "I'd help you in exchange for my friends not being involved?"

"Conditions have changed since we made that promise," said Saturos, noticing that the Wise One had to rise only ten metres.

"Jenna's not a part of this!" shouted Felix in desperation.

"Felix is right. Do what you want with me but let Jenna go!" shouted Kraden.

"Your bravery speaks well of you old man, but you're wasting your breath," said Saturos. He turned to Felix; "If we leave Jenna here, she'll surely die. Is that what you want?" Felix said nothing, his silence speaking for itself.

"Good, now let's get going," said Saturos, heading through the portal. Menardi followed, dragging a protesting Kraden.

"Come on," said Felix softly, taking Jenna by the hand.

"Wait, you can't just leave Isaac and Garet here!" she exclaimed, looking over at her friends. They were completely cut off, the pillars around them having all collapsed.

"Jenna, there's nothing we can do," Felix whispered. He started to drag Jenna through the portal as Isaac and Garet looked on hopelessly. "Isaac, Garet, don't die!" she yelled before Felix dragged her in.

Alex stood alone, glancing at Isaac and Garet, who seemed to have been stunned by the fact that the girl named Jenna had been taken from their sight. He smirked as he walked towards the portal. A shame about the Mars Star, but perhaps they'd be seeing it soon. He glanced at the two boys, taking note of the golden haired one. With any luck, he'd be seeing him soon too. With that, he disappeared through the portal, just as the Wise One finished rising. With the finale of altitude, a white light covered the whole chamber. When it cleared, the Wise One was gone.

**XXXX**

It felt like hours had passed, but the actual period of time in question was only a few minutes. Isaac and Garet surveyed the chamber in silence. They were completely cut off from the portal. All the water had evaporated. Numerous fissures had appeared in the ground. And to top it off, Jenna and Kraden were beyond their reach. The only good news was that the rumbling had stopped.

"Well," said Garet eventually, breaking the silence. "This turned out rather badly, wouldn't you say?"

"Wow Garet, I never knew that you were one for understatements," said Isaac bitterly, slumping to the ground, the enormity of the events weighing him down.

"Jenna," whispered Garet. "You…you don't think they'll hurt her will you?"

Isaac sighed; "I wouldn't' put it past them. Still, at least Felix is there with them."

"Yeah, like that makes a difference," snarled Garet.

Isaac sighed. He could understand Garet's animosity to Jenna's brother. He wanted to think that Felix could still be a friend, that he hadn't turned his back on Vale completely, but at this point in time, there seemed to be little evidence for that. Felix was lost to them. Isaac had lost the same friend twice.

Of course, that was nothing compared to what Jenna must be going through. Isaac faced the ground in misery. The last time that he and Garet had seen her, being pushed through a portal by her traitorous brother. Hardly ideal circumstances. There was also the issue of the feelings that had been building up inside him towards his female friend, but he refrained from voicing them. Garet must have been going through the exact same thing. He looked up and felt his heart skip a beat-the Wise One was hovering metres away from the section of land that they were on, staring right at them. Garet was visibly trembling, his hand trying to clasp around his sword but failing miserably.

"**Why are you standing there?"** it asked, its voice seemingly as old as the earth itself. **"Surely you realise that this place is dangerous."**

"Hey, you're the dangerous one!" shouted Garet, deciding that anger was the best way of dealing with fear.

"**Indeed?"** asked the Wise One. **"I'd say that the volcano is actually your main problem."** To seemingly prove his point, a rumble started. In response, the Wise One began to brim with psyenergy, the rumble dying away simultaneously. Even using his power so passively, Isaac and Garet could feel it wash over them.

"**The volcano will erupt soon. Even I cannot hold the lava back forever,"** continued the Wise One. Suddenly, red light shot out of the statue that had held the Mars Star. Yellow, blue and purple light could be seen from the ones that had housed the Venus, Mercury and Jupiter Star respectively.

"What…what just happened?" asked Garet.

"**The djinn have returned," **said the Wise One simply.

"Djinn?" asked Isaac.

"**Elemental spirits, each in tune with one of the four elements. Once again, they have returned to help mankind."**

"Again?" exclaimed Garet. "Who are you? What are you?"

"**Such a fact is irrelevant. I'd focus on the Mars Star."**

Isaac nodded and went to place it back in the statue, **"You misunderstand me," **said the Wise One. **"You must take the Mars Star away from here. The chamber is collapsing.** **There'll be no chamber for the stars to return to. Hence, the world will be exposed to the threat of Alchemy."**

"A threat?" asked Garet.

"**Yes. It is a destructive force that must be kept sealed. Should the beacons of the four lighthouses be lit, the world risks being destroyed in the ensuring cataclysm."**

"Do Saturos and Menardi know this?" asked Isaac.

The Wise One chuckled; **"Of course. But a lust for power is present in many men. It** **drives them forward, makes them blind to the truth, in this case, the truth that only ill can come of alchemy."**

"Is…is there any hope?" Isaac asked.

"**Only if the lighthouses remain unlit,"** said the Wise One. Another rumble occurred, this one far more violent. The Wise One brimmed with psyenergy, but it still continued.

"**I can no longer hold the magma back. I can buy you time, nothing more. Use it well. We may yet meet again."** With that, white light overtook Isaac and Garet's vision. When it cleared, they found themselves back in the Sol Room.

"Did…did that thing save us?" asked Garet.

"Partially," said Isaac, noticing their surroundings. "We've got a long way to go." Another rumble occurred.

"Damn right," muttered Garet. He took off with Isaac following.

**XXXX**

Felix, Saturos, Menardi, Kraden and Jenna waited outside Sol Sanctum, the later two heavily guarded. Eventually, there was a flash of light and Alex appeared. "Well? What's the situation?" asked Saturos.

"The villagers have gathered at the mountain's base," said Alex, seemingly untroubled by the rumbling mountain. "There's no way to sneak past them."

"Damit," cursed Saturos, looking up at the mountain anxiously. Alex, Menardi and himself were powerful, but fighting their way through an entire village?

"Can you teleport us outside Vale's limits?" asked Menardi.

"Perhaps," shrugged Alex. "But that would require a lot of energy. Fighting our way through seems to be the easier option."

"Indeed?" asked Saturos.

"Yes. Simple unarmed villagers against four powerful adepts? Even if Felix lets moral qualms get to him, we should provide more than a match."

Another rumble occurred. "Sounds good," said Saturos. "Let's get moving."

"Wait!" exclaimed Felix. "Surely teleporting is the better option!"

"I knew it," sighed Alex. He turned to Saturos; "Is this one really necessary?"

"Unfortunately yes," said Saturos. Yet another, louder rumble occurred.

"Look, stain your hands with the blood of villagers and all of Vale will come after us," said Felix. "By teleporting, we can exit Vale without alerting anyone."

"Sounds good," said Menardi. "How about you Saturos?"

Aleph rumbled again. "Yes, I agree with Felix," he said. "Alex, as much as I hate to say it, we're going to have to rely on you."

"Fine," sighed Alex. "Let your emotions cloud your judgement." With that he began channelling his psyenergy so he'd have enough power to teleport all of them.

Jenna glared at Felix; "How kind of you to get them to spare the village," she snarled. "I notice that you didn't lift a finger to help Isaac and Garet."

"I'm saving who I can," said Felix, facing the ground.

White light began to overtake Jenna's vision. She glanced back at Mt. Aleph. "Isaac, Garet, please be alright," she whispered before the white light overtook her.

**XXXX**

"Damit Isaac, hurry up!"

"Garet, I'm trying, ok?"

Garet gritted his teeth and cast another flare, frying a bat that had shot out at him. Their escape had gone well until they'd reached the azure coloured tile section, where part of the wall had collapsed. Isaac was channelling his psyenergy to cast an earthquake strong enough to shift them. Progress didn't seem forthcoming.

"For Sol's sake Isaac, what's taking so long?" yelled Garet as he fried another bat. It seemed that the bats seemed to think that attacking them was a better option than waiting for the roadblock to be cleared.

"Alright, I've got it!" yelled Isaac, finally unleashing a quake, causing the boulders to tumble down, thus opening the way for a bat to shoot out from the other side and strike Isaac across the forehead, making him tumble down.

"Isaac, you ok?" Garet asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Isaac rose to his feet, patching up the cut with healing psyenergy. The bat came round to make another pass, but Isaac whipped out his sword, cleaving it in two.

"What the hell is up with these things anyway?" exclaimed Isaac. "It's as if the creatures here are more intent on killing us than saving their own lives."

"Who cares about their lives, let's just focus on saving ours!" yelled Garet. Taking that as their cue, the two adepts continued their exodus from the sanctum. The burst of speed didn't last long, as they came to a halt as they turned the corner of the passage. "What in the name of Weyard?" Isaac breathed.

Two things had caught Isaac's attention. The first issue was the fact that numerous fissures had formed throughout the hallway, with purple light streaming out of them. The other, more pressing issue was the fact that…things were making their way towards them.

"What the hell are they?" Garet asked.

Isaac remained silent. The creatures were green with beady eyes, looking as if they were sentient slime or something. Before Isaac had time to ponder it further, another rumble occurred. Suddenly Garet barged into him, sending both of them sprawling.

"What was that for?" Isaac exclaimed. Garet pointed to the space where they'd been standing-a crack had appeared in the ground and lava had splashed over the sides.

"How'd you know that was going to happen?" Isaac asked.

"I dunno, I could just sense it," said Garet. "Maybe because I'm a Mars Adept." More rumbles could be heard.

"Come on, we've got to keep moving," said Isaac.

"But how? There's all those…_things_," pointed out Garet.

"Death by magma or death by slime," said Isaac simply, getting his sword ready. "Your choice."

Garet sighed; "I'll take the later."

"Good." With that, they both ran forward. It was a good thing that they did so, as it was at that point that another mini-eruption occurred. Lava was steadily rising to the surface.

"Garet, you still got psyenergy?" asked Isaac as they neared the slime creatures.

"Yeah, why?" asked Garet.

Isaac grimaced as he began channelling his own; "Let's just say that you simply repeat what you did with the bats." Nearing the creatures, Isaac unleashed a quake, sending them sprawling. A few tried to rise and attack them but Garet kept them at bay with his psyenergy, burning any that came too close.

However, it seemed to be doing them little good. For every slime creature that Garet singed or Isaac sent sprawling with a quake, two more seemed to rise from the fissures. If they'd been running any slower, they would have been cut off. Slimes were chasing after them with surprising speed and with every set of fissures that they passed the slimes were further up than the ones before them.

"Damit, where are these things coming from?" yelled Garet, temporarily turning around to cast a flare against those that were chasing them.

"Hell if I know!" responded Isaac, battering away a slime that had jumped at him with his forearm. Up ahead, some slimes had reached the top of a fissure. A quake sent them back down again.

"Isaac, we can't keep this up!" yelled Garet, cleaving a slime in two with his sword as he passed it.

"Calm down, we're nearly there!" yelled Isaac in response. From what he remembered of walking down this corridor, there should only be about fifty metres to go. At least he hoped so. Any more than that they'd probably either be pulled down by the creatures or crushed by one of the many falling rocks. Neither option was particularly appealing.

Perhaps Isaac had jinxed himself as it was at this point that part of the ceiling collapsed ahead of him. Isaac stumbled and fell, landing down hard. Upon seeing this, Garet turned around and cast a barrage of flares, keeping the slimes at bay.

"Garet, jump aside!" Isaac rose to his feet and cast another quake, sending the horde sprawling. Grabbing Garet, the chase continued.

"Thanks for that," said Isaac as they continued.

"No problem," Garet murmured, flexing his hand as he ran along.

"What is it?" Isaac asked.

"I'm drained," panted Garet. "Completely drained."

Isaac felt the urge to kick himself for making Garet waste all that psyenergy over him, but he saw something that made him realise that such an action wouldn't be worth it. He could see the light at the end of the tunnel. Literally.

"Don't worry, we're gonna make it!" he exclaimed.

"Bought time," Garet wheezed. "I swear this hallway has become longer than when we entered."

Isaac grinned at his friend and turned back to face the exit. The grin immediately faded, given that a gaping hole about two metres wide in front of them, cutting them off from the exit.

Isaac noticed that Garet was slowing down, having seemingly noticed the same thing. "Garet, keep moving!" he yelled, noticing that not only were the slime creatures still pursuing them but molten rock was making its way to the surface. If they didn't get across that gap, they'd either be overwhelmed or burnt alive. Neither choice was particularly appealing.

"What's the point?" asked Garet dejectedly as he ran alongside Isaac. "We're cut off from the exit, there's no way across."

"Don't be so sure," Isaac murmured, picking up speed and stretching his arm out to try and use his Venus psyenergy to prevent the gap from widening any further. Whether such a thing was possible he didn't know, but he was desperate to utilise every possible advantage.

Garet had picked up the pace too. "Before we plunge to our untimely deaths, I just want you to know that I think you're insane for thinking that we still have a chance."

"Duly noted," murmured Isaac, sheathing his sword. "Now pick up the pace. You're going to need it."

Both boys shot forward with the slimes in pursuit. Isaac noticed that the ground in front of them was glowing orange, indicating that magma was just below it. He increased his speed even further. The two boys jumped just as the magma bubbled over, the spectacle ending only as they grabbed the ledge of the other side. They'd made it. Partially.

Isaac managed to pull himself up and turned to Garet, who was still struggling. "Man you're heavy," he mused as he pulled his friend up.

"Whatever," Garet panted, lying down on the ground. Despite the still present danger of the eruption, Isaac joined him, utterly exhausted.

The slimes still weren't giving up. They rushed through the bubbling magma, the heat not troubling them. Like a stream they tumbled down into the chasm, the desire to attack the adepts overriding any sense of self preservation. If such a sense existed at all that is.

"And don't come back up!" yelled Garet, watching the creatures tumble over. Isaac was inclined to agree, too tired to spend much time wondering how such creatures could have come into existence.

"Come on, we better go," said Isaac eventually, using his sword to steady himself as he rose. "Mt. Aleph is still dangerous. The sooner we get back to Vale the better." Garet nodded in agreement.

Garet managed to get to his feet as Isaac leant against a wall catching his breath. He cast a remorseful look at the hallway, scarred with fissures, boulders and magma. They were responsible for setting this in motion. They'd taken the stars, allowed Saturos and Menardi to steal them and thus start an eruption. It was because of their own actions that there was no guarantee that he'd ever see Jenna again. He let out a sigh-best to focus on the here and now.

"Alright, let's go," said Garet as he slapped Isaac on the shoulder. "At least we've got it downhill from here."

"Ever the optimist," grinned Isaac feebly. "You're right, the mountain isn't going to wait for us." With that, the two boys set off running down the mountain slope, the sound of rumbling echoing in their ears.

**A/N**

_So another chapter is done, the thirteenth one so far if you include the prologue. Hopefully that won't jinx me. Anyway, a few points to address._

_-The two scenes with Los and Kite probably disrupt the flow of the story, but I felt that it was better to include them here than in the next chapter. After all, in terms of game material, the next chapter only covers up to the end of the meeting with the elders. Most of the chapter is actually devoted to the sidestory. Apologies in advance for any GS puratists._

_-The scene outside Sol Sanctum with Saturos and co. probably disrupts the flow of the story too. Still, I felt that it was a plothole that needed to be addressed. The game never explains how Saturos's party escapes from Vale. Fighting their way through is a possibility but it seems unlikely, it would have been mentioned. Sneaking through is highly unlikely. Hence, I felt that the teleport option, while perhaps slightly far fetched, was the best possible explanation._

_-I probably made the escape sequence a bit too dramatic, but did anyone feel that in the game that the escape sequence is a bit too easy? I certainly did. And yes, I did partially base it on the section in 'Fellowship of the Ring' film where the Fellowship is running through Moria. Peter Jackson, I await your lawsuit._

_-There was actually a major cut here. In the original conception one of the vermin that attacked Isaac and co. would survive and wait at the entrance. The psyenergy would mutate him into a giant, overgrown vermin that Isaac and Garet would have to get past. I decided to cut it as I felt that such a battle would disrupt the flow of the story, would make the Fusion Dragon less dramatic and be too reminiscent of Gandalf vs. the Balrog._

_-I decided to have the Wise One rise slowly rather than having it simply staring at Saturos and co. Seriously, staring at the thieves without doing anything? No doubt he wanted them to escape but surely Isaac and Garet would have realised that something was up._

_That's it pretty much. Like Isaac and Garet, I'm definitely glad to be out of that sanctum. Anyway, hope you stick around for the next chapter. After all, it's in that next chapter that…_

_**They**, will return._

_PS: Reviews are appreciated._


	14. Under the Burning Sky

**Golden Sun: The Broken Seal**

**Chapter 14: Under the Burning Sky**

"I thought that Mt. Aleph was inactive…" mused the Great Elder, stroking his long white beard in thought while staring at the mountain that was currently rumbling violently, his saggy brown eyes situated under a brow of worry. He was currently standing outside the Elders' Sanctum with most of the townsfolk, gazing up at Mt. Aleph with awe.

"Oh my grandson," whispered Heph, his role as mayor taking a backseat to his role as a grandfather. "Will he be safe in this eruption?" He knew that he should be taking charge of the situation, but his mind was clouded with worry.

"Grandpa, don't worry," said Kay, putting a hand on the old man's shoulder. "We don't even know if he's still up there."

"But sis, they were seen climbing Mt. Aleph," pointed out Aaron. "No-one's seen them come down."

Kay's spirits sagged. She was lying to herself and Aaron had made her realise it. It felt like it had taken her hours to get Thomas to the elders and the man's weight and the curious stares from the townsfolk hadn't helped matters. No sooner had she reached her destination when Mt. Aleph, a mountain that was supposedly inactive had started erupting. If Garet was up there, if he'd been caught up in the eruption, Kay would never have been able to forgive herself for yelling at him the last time that she saw her elder brother.

"Isaac, Jenna and Kraden are up there too…" said Dora softly, clearly as concerned as Heph and Kay were. Only ten minutes ago she'd been patching up the roof that Isaac had failed to mend properly, seething with rage and planning the lecture that she'd give her delinquent son on his return. Now, looking at Mt. Aleph rumble, anger had taken a backseat to concern. The mountain let out another rumble, adding to her worries.

"There's probably no reason to worry," said one of the healers that was watching the mountain. "Those four probably headed down Mt. Aleph on its opposite side, considering that they haven't shown up yet. Right now, we should focus on evacuating Vale."

There was a chorus of agreement from all of the villagers apart from Kay, Heph, Dora, Aaron and Garet's parents Gerald and Katherine, who were also watching the mountain in trepidation, their hands linked.

The chorus of agreement continued until the Great Elder broke it with a soft voice yet one full of authority; "No. We stay here."

The chorus immediately stopped although a few voices of protest could be heard;

"What? That's suicide!"

"Are you insane?"

"There's an erupting volcano above us and you want us to _stay_?"

"This is-…"

"SILENCE!" yelled the Great Elder, making it clear that he would broke no argument. He turned to face the villagers; "If you value your lives, you will stay in Vale."

"But-…"

"The lands south of us are about to become dangerous, far more so than whatever danger Mt. Aleph presents at this point in time," continued the Great Elder. He turned to face Garet's parents. "Gerald, Katherine, head to Vale's exit and make sure that no-one tries to leave. If they do so, their lives are at great risk.

"You…you are sure?" asked Katherine. Her appearance had been passed down to her daughter and like Kay, in that she was never one to rush into things. Like many of the villagers she respected the Great Elder but at this point in time that respect was greatly diminished.

"Do as he says dear," sighed Heph, the prospect of retiring seeming very appealing at this point in time. "It'll take your mind off Garet."

"Yeah, don't worry, he'll be down soon," piped up Aaron, ever the optimist.

"Quite true," murmured the Great Elder, although no-one gave any indication that they had heard him.

"Come on dear," said Gerald eventually, taking his wife's hand, showing a rare moment of restraint. He was basically a more mature form of his eldest son, although he had short brown hair and a thin moustache. With a nod from Katherine, they began heading down to the village.

"I suggest that you follow their lead," murmured the Great Elder to the villagers, although his back was facing them. Although much angry muttering could be heard, the crowd dispersed and headed back to Vale. At least that way they were closer to their route of escape, the logic of the Great Elder's words lost on them. By the end of it, only the Great Elder, the healer, Dora, Kay, Aaron and Heph were left, with another individual hanging further back, yet still watching. His attire suggested that he was a traveller.

"I take it that you know what you're doing," muttered Heph to the elder.

"Of course," came the simple reply.

Heph sighed and faced the ground, not knowing what to believe anymore. Kay came over to comfort him;

"Relax grandpa, they'll be alright," she said, not sure if she believed it. She tried to convey a bright smile but failed miserably. "Don't you worry, Garet will be back down before you know it."

"Garet ! Isaac!"

The exclamation had come from Aaron, who was pointing excitedly at something further up the path that led to Mt. Aleph. To everyone's relief, Kay's prediction had come true. Isaac and Garet had arrived.

"Isaac! You're safe!" exclaimed Dora, tears of joy running down her face as she rushed over and threw her arms around him. "Are you alright?" she asked softly.

"Yeah, fine," answered Isaac in a monotone, making it clear that that wasn't the case. Dora noticed, but was more concerned at making it clear at how relieved she was.

Much to his embarrassment, Kay was giving Garet the same treatment as the Great Elder, Heph, Aaron and the healer headed over. "Garet, have you any idea how worried we've been?" asked Heph, irritation being used to cover his joy.

"Sorry gramps, couldn't be helped," said Garet bitterly, the events of Sol Sanctum still on his mind.

Dora withdrew from her embrace with Isaac, giving her son a quizzical look. Understandable, given that not only was he covered in dirt and bruises but he had a sword strapped along his back. Garet was in the same state, except his sword was strapped in his belt.

"Isaac, weren't Jenna and Kraden with you?" asked Dora.

"They were," murmured Isaac as he faced the ground. "Until they were…taken."

"Taken? By whom?" exclaimed Dora. "Isaac, what happened?"

"Patience Dora," soothed the Great Elder. "I suspect that there is far more than this than meets the eye." He turned to the healer. "Marcus, summon the elders and healers."

"As you wish," replied Marcus, bowing to his superior and heading into the sanctum.

"Isaac, Garet, we need you to tell us exactly what happened on the mountain," said the Great Elder. "Can you do that?"

"Yeah, sure," murmured Garet, facing the ground in the same fashion as Isaac.

"Good." With that, the elder entered, followed solemnly by Isaac and Garet. Dora entered too as Heph turned to face Kay and Aaron.

"Kay, Aaron, you two head down to Vale and find your parents. I'm going to find out what this is all about."

"What, no fair!" exclaimed Aaron, stamping his feet up and down. "How come we can't stay?"

"Your parents will be wanting to know that Garet's alright," pointed out Heph.

"Come on Aaron, grandpa's right," said Kay. "We better head back to Vale."

"Hmph, fine," said Aaron, making it clear that it wasn't fine. Regardless, Heph gave his grandchildren a faint smile and entered the sanctum.

"Come on Aaron, let's go," said Kay, taking her little brother by the hand and leading him down towards the village.

"Hey sis?"

"Yeah?"

"How come you're crying?"

Kay blushed as she wiped away the tears that gave away her relief that Garet was safe; 'Nothing Aaron, just something in my eye.

"Fine, keep lying to yourself," grinned Aaron. "Whatever helps you yell at Garet without gilt." He sniggered at Kay's hopeless attempt at denial as they passed the man with the teal cloak, who barely glanced at them. Instead, he was looking up at the sky, coloured a bright red due to the sunset. It was as if it was burning.

"How fitting," murmured the man, who was currently going under the alias 'Los.' "The sky's burning as Weyard heads towards a fiery end." He spat in disgust at the thought that Saturos and Menardi were probably well beyond his reach, ensuring that in whatever time was left for Weyard's existence, he'd never achieve revenge. From the sound of things, Kraden was beyond his reach also. He'd never have the confrontation with the old man that he desired. He sighed and looked down towards Vale, the tavern looking quite appealing.

As Los headed down, Mt. Aleph began its actual eruption. A cloud of ash emitted from the mountain's peak. If one had a good eye, he or she may have been able to see faint purple lights seemingly suspended inside the cloud, the same lights that had been seen inside the Elemental Star chamber.

Another rumble occurred and the lights instantly shot out of the cloud, scattering in all directions. It would have been impossible to see what they were in great detail given the speed at which they were moving, but their presence was still felt. Some embedded themselves in the plains south of Vale, others landing on different continents. Psyenergy stones, purple stones made out of solidified psyenergy were like that-they moved with purpose.

The ash cloud continued to hang ominously as another rumble occurred. As the mountain shook violently, five flashes could be made out within the cloud; yellow, red, purple, blue and orange, their radiance coming in that order. To top it off, a faint silver beam shot out of the mountain, its trajectory taking it eastward.

Anyone who viewed these events would have probably realised by now that this was far from a normal eruption. Hence, that individual would have probably continued looking at the mountain rather than the 'burning' sky, where the most subtle event yet perhaps the most important was occurring.

Faint bands of what looked like lightning were making their way across the sky towards Vale, seemingly having come from somewhere north from it. The lightning made its way to the sky above Vale Forest, situated west of the village, not so far from Vale Cave. It formed a circle, brimming with great power. The circle began to spin, slow at first but gradually increased in speed. Suddenly, the circle merged into a single bolt of lightning, a bolt that struck Vale Forest, setting numerous trees alight and forming a small crater.

If one had been in the vicinity of the site of impact and mustered the courage to linger on, that individual would have soon realised that he or she wasn't alone, due to the fact that as the dust cleared around the crater, five figures could be seen inside it, down on their fists and knees, almost as if kneeling or paying homage.

Each was basically the same in that they were each covered in full plate armour, the colour of darkest night. A spike extended from each of their foreheads, ensuring that if they ever barged headfirst into an individual he or she would be impaled. No part of their body could be seen. Of course, whether they even had bodies in the physical sense was doubtful, given that baleful eyes glowed through the visor of their helms.

It was here that the exact similarities ceased and the subtle differences began. The one whose eyes glowed a sickly yellow wore a yellow cape, similar to Isaac's yet much more commanding. A silver emblem had been carved into his chest plate, showing a boulder. The cape hid it, but a warhammer was slung across his back. This was Geb, the knight of earth.

The second one's eyes glowed blood red, with a cape that looked like blood had intentionally been used as dye. Two single handed battle axes were sheathed in his belt, each with a serrated edge. He bore the emblem of a fireball. This was Iblis, the knight of fire.

The third one's eyes glowed an eerie purple, with a cape to match. A spear was slung across his back, numerous inscriptions on its steel surface. On his chest was an emblem showing a tornado. This was Ukko, the knight of wind.

The fourth one's eyes were of a dark blue, his cape just as dark. A trident was slung across his back, its tips jagged. His chest bore the image of a water drop. This was Triton, the knight of water.

The final knight's orange eyes generated a commanding presence. An orange cape matched them. On his chest was an image of a lightning bolt. In his belt was a slim sword, runes twisting along the blade as if they were alive. This was Nephilim, the leader of The Five and the most powerful.

By this time, The Five had exited the crater formed by their arrival and Matsu had extinguished the fires. Not out of any concern for the well being of the forest of course, merely due to the fact that fire would draw attention to themselves. They could take anything that Vale threw at them of course, but time was of the essence and they could do without distractions.

"Are we ready?" asked Iblis, ever the impatient one. His voice indicated feelings of general anger and hatred.

"Yes, I can sense the wayward ones," answered Nephilim calmly, his voice sounding like something you'd expect from a telepath. "I will begin the retrieval. You four channel your psyenergy into me."

"What if any humans show up?" asked Geb, his voice coming out in a steady, gravally tone. It was typical of him to consider all possibilities in a logical manner.

"Dispose of them, what else?" Having said that, Nephilim began channelling his psyenergy, looking up at the sky. It was time for their former brethren to be brought back into the fold.

**XXXX**

Being a Venus Djinn, Flint usually avoided heights, despite the fact that he was fully capable of flight. His feeling of unease was especially great now considering that not only were they two-thousand feet above the ground, but there was a volcano down below that was currently sending ash into the sky.

Still, Flint couldn't help but feel a sense of elation. Three-thousand years. Three-thousand years of being sealed in a frickin statue, only able to converse with his fellow Venus Djinn, given their limited range of telepathy. Only their four leaders; Atum, Sethlans, Anu and Tethys, leaders of the Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Mercury djinn respectively had the ability to converse outside their relative realm of statis, even conversing with the Wise One himself apparently.

The djinn were actually waiting for news from the overgrown boulder (as Flint had often called him) right now, ready to do whatever had to be done to save Weyard, or whatever piece of melodramatic crap that he was about to spew out. Frankly, Flint was tired of it. They always had to do something at some point in time that prolonged the world's end for a few millennia. The prospect of letting a human keep him as a pet had often seemed appealing.

Yet being for sealed for three-thousand years had its uses. Of course that prick Ground (another Venus Djinn) had often said that he should reflect on how to serve the Wise One and Sol better, but Flint's mind had been elsewhere. Namely on how he was going to sweet talk his favourite Mars Djinn once he was out of that damn statue. He looked over at the group of Mars Djinn, looking for his object of affection, his lines well rehearsed after three-thousand years of practice.

"Flint, when are you going to grow up?" came a voice. Flint sighed and turned to its source; another Venus Djinn, Echo.

"I think the better question would be when are you going to get off my back," snapped Flint in reply, irritated at the interruption. Echo was ok mostly, but seemed to take on the role of a big brother. His sense of humour was also too limited for Flint's tastes.

"Flint, if you want to find a female partner, perhaps you should focus on one that you stand a chance of obtaining," continued Echo.

"She'll come through," murmured Flint, resuming his search.

"Give it up Flint, you've been trying to get her attention ever since the Second Age," exclaimed Echo.

"First, actually."

"Whatever!" Echo was becoming extremely irritated at his friend's lack of sense. "Look, if you're so desperate for a female companion, why don't you try Flower?"

"No thanks," murmured Flint.

"Alright, what about Fizz then?" asked Echo, pushing his attack. "She's a nice girl, she'd-…"

"No thanks," repeated Flint, more irritation coming out.

"Ok, so how about-…"

"Damn it Echo, when I want advice from you I'll ask for it!" shouted Flint, getting a few stares from his fellow djinn. "Why do you always take it upon yourself to interfere with my affairs?"

Echo went to say something, but stopped short. Flint at first thought that he'd won the argument, but soon realised that that simply wasn't the case. Judging by the expression on his friend's face, something had caught his attention. Flint turned to the source and the expression was duplicated.

It was insane, it was illogical, but it was still happening. Hundreds of psyenergy stones were floating up to them, seemingly moving with purpose. This, at least to Flint's knowledge, was completely insane. The chances of psyenergy stones coming up this high was extremely unlikely, but for them to _float_ up? Surely that violated the laws of physics.

"Haze, get back here!"

Someone had called out to the Jupiter Djinn named Haze, the one that was known for letting curiosity getting the best of her. She approached the psyenergy stones slowly, seemingly caught up in the aura of light and psyenergy that they emitted. The scene was almost beautiful in a sense…at least, it was until one of the psyenergy stones shot forward hitting her, the stone and the Jupiter Djinn disappearing in a flash of purple light.

Quite a few screams rippled throughout the djinn horde. The screams increased in number and intensity as the stones shot forward, all seemingly moving with purpose.

**Elder's Sanctum**

The Elder's Sanctum was hardly as majestic as Garet had imagined. Perhaps it was because of the grandeur of Sol Sanctum, but it savoured of anti-climax. Drab stone walls, cold tiles and a simple fireplace with the Elders and Healers sitting on stools. The emblem of Sol was the only thing that indicated their supposed grandeur.

Garet hardly noticed this however, as the hour that it took for Isaac and Garet to recall their experiences in Sol Sanctum had been one of the most gruelling hours of Garet's life. There were a few reasons for this. Firstly, there was the fact that it forced Garet to remember his failure to stop Saturos and Menardi, to save Jenna… The second issue was the fact that the council (two elders, two healers and the Great Elder) would ask a question seemingly every few seconds. The third was that, judging by the looks on the faces of the healers, they weren't about to give them roses.

"We had no idea, the true sanctum…" mused Samuel as he stroked his grey beard. His fellow elder, Kenneth, was facing the floor in disbelief.

"So Jenna and Kraden, they're prisoners?" asked Dora.

Isaac nodded sullenly, the fact that Jenna and Kraden were beyond his reach still weighing down heavily on him.

"Do you think they can be saved?" asked Heph.

"Yeah, there's still hope," answered Garet. "We've still got the Mars Star, perhaps if we-…"

"Absolutely not!" shouted Spence, the healer that was sitting beside Marcus. "How _dare_ you suggest such a thing?"

"Spence, calm down," said Marcus.

"No, I will not calm down!" shouted his fellow healer. "These two walked blindly into Sol Sanctum, deactivated its traps, entered the chamber, retrieved the Elemental Stars and triggered the eruption! They're as guilty as the actual thieves! Banishment is the only suitable punishment!"

Dora looked as if she'd seen a ghost. "No, not that," she pleaded. "I lost Kyle three years ago, don't make me lose Isaac as well."

Spence looked like he wanted to press his point but Kenneth interposed; "Punishment, if there's to be any, is an issue for another time. Right now, our primary concern is deciding how to act in regards to the theft of the stars."

"And rescuing Jenna and Kraden," murmured Isaac, although no-one gave any indication that they'd heard him.

"The thieves won't be able to release alchemy without the Mars Star," said Marcus. "I suggest that we move it to a more secure location, ensuring that the thieves never find it."

"What about the other stars?" asked Samuel. "Who knows what will happen if even one of the lighthouses is lit? Surely an attempt must be made at least."

"Yes, you're right," said Spence. "Even with only one star the thieves possess more power than one should be allowed to wield. They, along with Felix, must be brought to justice."

"You're…you're considering Felix an enemy too?"

Heph sighed; "Felix has turned his back on Vale and its ways. He can never be one of us again."

"Felix…" mused Dora. "What could have made him join those thieves? He was always such a nice boy, always willing to do the right thing."

"Perhaps, but that was in the past," said Spence firmly. "The way I see it, Felix is an enemy like any other."

Garet nodded solemnly, Isaac less so. Felix an enemy? He understood that Felix was working with Saturos and Menardi, but could he really be considered an adversary in the same sense? He sighed mentally; what could have caused Felix to turn his back on everyone he'd cared about. Regretfully, he'd probably never know. He and Garet would probably be banished, never able to confront Felix with these pressing questions, never be able to see Jenna again…

"We should have realised that this was coming," muttered Marcus bitterly. "Six strangers turning up in Vale on the same day, hardly usual proceedings."

"Six?" asked Isaac. "But there were only four of them; Saturos, Menardi, Alex and Felix."

"I never said that the other two were linked to them," retorted Marcus. "I was simply making the point that Vale is no longer as isolated as we'd like it to be."

Kenneth nodded in agreement; "Clearly more drastic measures will have to be taken to ensure Vale's isolation. The eruption and Thomas are testament to that."

"Thomas?" asked Garet. "What about him? What happened?"

"Kay found him unconscious near the river. He's currently resting below," said Kenneth, gesturing to the stairs that led to the lower levels of the sanctum. "We suspect that foul play is involved, no doubt on the part of the thieves.

There was silence as the scale of the thieves' depravity set in. Clearly the well being of innocent people was of no concern to them, what with Thomas being found unconscious, the triggering of the eruption without guilt, the storm three years ago… Isaac noticed how little light was coming through the windows, a sign of the onset of night. "_How morbidly_ _appropriate_," he thought bitterly.

"Great Elder, what are your thoughts on the matter?" asked Heph suddenly. All eyes turned to the object of the question, who was currently staring into the fire with his back turned to them. Come to think of it, he hadn't uttered one word through the entire meeting. He'd simply stared into the flame that was the only source of light in the room.

"Great Elder, is something wrong?" asked Dora. "It's like you're a thousand miles away."

The silence continued a few more seconds before the Great Elder answered, still staring into the fire; "The Wise One has been speaking in my mind. I knew what happened in Sol Sanctum before you even told me."

"What?" everyone exclaimed.

"If that's the case then why did we even have this meeting?" asked Garet with clear irritation.

"So, this Wise One…" asked Heph slowly. "Did… did he say anything about the eruption?"

The Great Elder continued to face the fire as he seemed to consider the question before answering; "It is impossible to stop the eruption," he said eventually. "Even the Wise One cannot rule over the ways of the earth."

"But what about Vale?" asked Dora anxiously. "Will the eruption…" She trailed off, not sure if she wanted to ask the question for fear of the answer she would receive.

"Vale is safe in a sense," murmured the Great Healer. "The Wise One will prevent the lava from reaching us. However, Vale's existence is still threatened."

"But if we're safe from the eruption, what could harm Vale?" asked Garet.

"Vale's fate is now tied in with that of the world," answered the Great Elder. "A terrible power risks returning."

"You're referring to alchemy right?" asked Isaac.

The Elder nodded. "Yes. The Wise One has spoken to me. If the Elemental Lighthouses are lit, that power will be unleashed upon the world, bringing destruction with it." He turned to face them all, a look of resolve showing; "The world is ours to save or destroy. Vale has been guarding the stars ever since alchemy was sealed. It is our duty, our moral obligation, to recover them, lest the world be consumed in the apocalypse that alchemy will unleash."

"What a pity," mused Heph. Isaac couldn't help but smile faintly-a tendency for understatements must have run through Garet's family.

"I agree with what the Great Elder says," said Spence. "We have to retrieve the stars. I suggest that we-…"

"No," said the Great Elder firmly. "Acquiring the Elemental Stars is their fate alone."

It took a few seconds for everyone to realise that the Great Elder was referring to Isaac and Garet in that statement. Thus the uneasy silence was prolonged.

"Are you insane?" Spence asked softly.

"Isaac and Garet are only children," said Dora, a hint of panic and fear in her voice. "You can't expect them to bear such a burden."

"I agree with Dora. Tracking down thieves is no job for children," said Heph, a hint of concern coming out in his voice also.

"The Wise One has spoken," said the Great Elder simply. He turned to face Isaac and Garet; "You two share responsibility for this, now each of you must make your own decision."

Garet looked too shocked for words, while Isaac seemed to still be processing what the Great Elder had said; unable to believe what was being asked of them. "Isaac, Garet, will you accept responsibility for the fate of this land?"

Garet turned to look at Isaac hopelessly as the Venus Adept faced the floor. Why send him and Garet? True, their psyenergy was relatively powerful and they had good sword arms, but surely there had to be other, better champions. How could he and Garet stand up to Saturos and Menardi? The power they radiated, such an action would be tantamount to suicide.

And yet, Isaac didn't fear them as much as he did before. It was strange, but he felt more…resolved, somehow. The Great Healer was right of course, it was because of them that Saturos and Menardi had been able to access the stars.

And what about Jenna and Kraden? Could Isaac simply turn his back on them? And what of Felix? Isaac still felt the desire to reach an understanding with his friend, even if they had to be enemies.

And what of the visions in Sol Sanctum, the ones that he only seemed to be aware of? Vani and Abel… Isaac doubted whether he'd ever find out their true identities, despite how familiar they felt. Still, they couldn't have been much older than he was and yet they were seemingly able to seal alchemy. Could Isaac simply walk away, letting their efforts come to naught? And finally, if the Wise One had placed destiny in his hands, who was he to drop it?

Isaac looked up at the Great Elder, uttering three simple words; "I'll do it."

Another silence fell over the room, broken only by Dora's pleading voice; "Please Isaac, you can't…"

"I can and I will," said Isaac solemnly. He didn't want to upset his mother but he understood that there were greater things at stake here.

Garet put a hand on his friend's shoulder; "Don't worry pal, you won't be going alone. I'm in too." Isaac smiled faintly, while Heph looked like he'd seen a ghost.

"This is insane!" exclaimed Spence. He turned to face the Great Elder; "Surely you're not suggesting that we are to rely on these two…criminals!"

"The Wise One has spoken, there will be no argument," said the Great Elder simply as he turned back to face the fire. He held up his arms as if to hail some divine being; "O' Wise One, these two have accepted your quest, what is your next command?"

Garet thought for a second that he'd lost it until the fire suddenly dimmed and night outside seemed much darker. However, light seemed to be coming from above. Garet looked for its source and soon found it-a ghostly apparition of the Wise One had appeared.

"**You two are very brave to take on this quest,"** it said. **"Choose your destiny wisely** **for I cannot choose it for you."**

"What do you command?" asked the Great Elder, as if in a trance.

"**Follow the guidance of the Mars Star, it will take you to the lighthouses,"** answered the Wise One. **"I shall be watching from above. May Sol shine upon you**." With that, the apparition faded and light returned.

"So that was the Wise One," said Dora slowly.

"Surely that can't be all he has to say!" exclaimed Garet.

"The Wise One has said his part, he will say no more," answered the Great Elder as he faced the fire. "Man must make his own destiny, follow his own path."

The silence that followed indicated that the meeting was over. "You're insane," muttered Spence as he stormed out. "Completely insane."

Marcus rose to his feet; "I better check on how Thomas is doing," he said quickly as he headed downstairs.

Kenneth and Samuel looked at each other; "Er, isn't it time for meditation?" asked Kenneth.

"Huh?"

"Meditation. The sun's set, it's time for our nightly meditation session."

"Oh right." With that, the two elders headed down to the lower levels.

"I think we better go," said Dora, putting a hand on Isaac's shoulder. Isaac nodded sullenly. The four walked out, leaving the Great Elder facing the fire.

**Outside the Elder's Sanctum**

"What good are those guys?" exclaimed Heph as soon as they were outside. "Sending children off like that with no advice!"

"It's not as if we have a choice," said Garet sullenly, the prospect of being a hero looking a lot less appealing. Isaac nodded in agreement.

"When should they leave?" asked Dora stiffly.

"From the sound of things, we don't have much time to waste," said Heph.

"Tomorrow then?" asked Dora. Isaac's eyes grew wide-tomorrow? It was already night for Sol's sake! He knew that he had to stop Saturos and Menardi, but surely he could wait a day at least.

"Yes, tomorrow then," said Dora, trying to fight back tears. She started to head back to their house, a house that would be much emptier once he left. Isaac faced the ground in shame, full of self hatred. It was his fault that the stars were taken. And because of that, his mother and everyone else were enduring the consequences.

**Elder's Sanctum**

The Great Elder continued to face the fire deep in thought. He knew that this moment would come eventually, but it didn't make things any easier. "O' Wise One," he murmured, not sure if the Guardian of Weyard could hear him. "Where does this path lead?"

"**To the north of the world,"** echoed a voice in his head. **"It is there that the final** **determinant will occur."**

"And what of those marked by destiny?"

There was silence before the Wise One answered; **"Felix must unlock the power. However, it will be Isaac who sees this through to the end."**

"The end?" asked the Great Elder.

"**Yes. The end will come… when the sky itself weeps."**

Even with his wisdom, the Great Elder was unsure whether this was something to feel reassured about. "Wise One… is there any hope?" A long silence passed before he received an answer;

"**There is always hope."**

**Vale Cave**

Kite faced the stone walls of Vale Cave, speaking softly in the ancient tongue. Memories of earlier times, when the language had been used came back to her. She knew what had occurred in the Elder's Sanctum, that two boys had been blessed by the Wise One. She wasn't' sure what she could do, but praying seemed an appealing option right now, especially since she knew what was coming.

The clanking of metal feet indicated that what had been coming had arrived. Eventually the sound came to a stop. Kite continued to face the wall before speaking; "I knew that you were coming."

"Indeed?" asked a voice which sounded like a sharp wind. "Then why didn't you leave?"

Kite turned to face her visitors, namely The Five. "I will not run from fate," she said simply.

"A wise choice," said their leader as he stepped forward, the one Kite recognised as Nephilim. "I suggest that you come peacefully. Your brethren are waiting for you."

"What?" exclaimed Kite, her composure temporarily lost. "What have you done with the other djinn?"

"Simply brought back into the fold. Including you, only nine escaped our wrath." Nephlim's orange eyes glowed with malice before he continued; "And one way or another, that number is coming down to eight."

Kite's memory flashed back to earlier days, when the djinn had blindly served their now former masters, unaware of what was truly happening. She did not know what the rest of her brethren might think, but she, for one, did not want to see a return to those days.

"We served you blindly long ago," she said slowly. "We shall never do so willingly again."

"So be it," hissed Nephilim, drawing his sword. Baleful orange eyes locked in with sky blue ones.

Both shot forward, Kite like a hurricane, Nephilim simply moving at near inhuman speed. Both made contact in less than a second. In less than two seconds, Nephilim was crouched down at the other side of the cave, blood silver blood dripping off his sword. He rose slowly to address his brethren;

"Brothers, we are leaving." With that, white light engulfed the cave. When it cleared, nothing. Only Kite's body remained.

**A/N**

_I'm guessing that this chapter generated many WTF moments, partly due to characterisation (namely Flint, Kay, Isaac and Garet). Oh well. Guess you'll have to bear with it._

_I'm also guessing that The Five reek of Gary-Stuness, but I did make a conscious effort to tone them down. In the original conception, their power was much greater. Hardly descriptive, but true, believe it or not._

_Yes, they were partially based off the Nazgul. In the original draft they were almost physically identical, except their robes were of the colours of their element and their weapons had variety. Luckily, I had a brainwave that that was blatant plagiarism and changed their appearance. Don't know about you, but I'm more satisfied with the end product than the original conception._

_And yes, like the summons, they're named after actual gods/demigods, etc. Thank god for sites like wikipedia (pun intended). Anyway, in case any of you were wondering;_

_Geb: Egyptian god of the earth._

_Iblis: An Islamic fire devil._

_Ukko: Finnish god of the sky._

_Triton: Son of Poseidon and Amphitrite in Greek mythology._

_Nephilim: A type of fallen angel in Jewish and Christian mythology. Created by angels breeding with humans. In popular culture, they're regarded as symbols of good luck (kinda ironic that, given the story's context)._

_While I'm on the subject, the head djinn are also named after deities. Atum's origins were given in chapter 1, but as for the others;_

_Sethlans: The Etruscan equivalent of Hephaestus, the Greek god of the forge._

_Anu: The Sumerian god of heaven and sky._

_Tethys: A female Greek sea titan._

_The title probably isn't that appropriate, but I thought it sounded cool, so meh._

_Anyway, that's my two cents. I'll now get ready for all the flames that'll come my way._


	15. By the Light of the Moon

Chapter Fourteen: By the Light of the Moon

Night. There were many different interpretations of the shroud of darkness that covered the world while its inhabitants slept, saving their energy for the more simplistic phenomenon that was day. Some viewed it with apprehension, scared of the fact that danger may be lurking in every shadow, scared that something may be about to spring out at them from the blackness.

Clearly, imagination wasn't always a good thing.

Of course, that was only one general set of interpretations. Others viewed night as a time of peace and serenity, a time of calm slumber where one is free to enter their own world of dreams. Stars looked down over the world, lights of wonder. Many theories had been voiced over the centuries as to what stars were, ranging from suggestions that they were the souls of the departed to the more unorthodox explanation that they were simply balls of heated gas situated miles away. One way or another however, stars were shining objects that many enjoyed looking at.

In addition, night could be enjoyed when in the company of another, outdoors or indoors…

Currently sitting at the table twisting a spoon in soup that had been cold for hours, night only meant one thing for Isaac-that dawn wasn't far off. Dawn was traditionally seen as a symbol of hope and rebirth, but Isaac was viewing it with dread, for when dawn came he and Garet would have to leave Vale, with every likelihood of them not returning.

It wasn't really the concept of a dangerous quest that bothered Isaac. It was more the circumstances that surrounded it. He'd accepted the fact that the task of receiving the stars had been entrusted to him and Garet, even if he didn't' fully understand why. The Wise One was clearly powerful, so why didn't he get the stars himself? Wasn't he meant to be some kind of guardian?

If for whatever reason that the Wise One couldn't retrieve the stars himself, why did he choose Isaac and Garet of all people? Saturos and Menardi were clearly powerful foes, what chance did they have? Surely there had to be someone in the world better suited to the task. Sure, Isaac and Garet had proven themselves to be relatively skilled with blades and their psyenergy was powerful enough to be used as a weapon, but what difference would that make?

In Isaac's mind, Jenna deserved someone far more capable to rescue her. Kraden too, for that matter, although the female captive was the one which was primarily featured in his thoughts. At least Isaac knew that he wouldn't be living up to the cliché of 'the knight in shining armour', considering that he had no horse, armour and certainly wasn't skilled enough to be considered a knight.

And what of his other enemies, Alex and Felix? From what Isaac could tell, Saturos and Menardi were the driving forces behind the company but that didn't make the other two any less potent. After all, teleportation and levitation wasn't exactly a common ability. Alex seemed to lack the callousness of what appeared to be his superiors but that provided little comfort. He was simply another enemy on a quest that already had too many for Isaac's liking.

There was also the fact that he felt eerily familiar.

Still, as disconcerting as Alex was, Felix continued to remain at the forefront of Isaac's mind. Isaac sighed and placed his face in his hands, rubbing them over. Partly due to lack of sleep, but also a way of venting his frustration at his current lack of understanding. What could have caused Felix to turn his back on Vale, on his friends?

It was possible that Saturos and Menardi had simply brainwashed him or something, but Isaac knew that the chances of that were unlikely. Felix was strong of mind and didn't strike Isaac as the type to be ensnared by others.

There was still the chance that Felix was doing this willingly. However, that didn't strike Isaac as being any more feasible. With all his reading, Felix probably understood the most about the dangers of returning alchemy yet here he was trying to do just that, going against everything that history and the elders had to tell them! What could have caused Felix to turn his back on everyone and everything he once held dear?

Well, maybe not everyone. Felix seemed to show genuine concern for Jenna at least, although that didn't stop him from taking her captive. It seemed that he still had a touch of morality in him which stood in stark contrast to Saturos and Menardi. It wasn't much, but Isaac hoped that he would ensure that Jenna and Kraden were treated well.

The amount of reassurance that such a thought provided fell woefully short of what would have been required to allow Isaac to sleep easily. He sighed and rose. He needed some air. There were too many unanswered questions going through his mind and staying indoors wasn't going to help. He went to the door but stopped, realising that he'd forgotten something. He headed back up the stairs.

The factors of the quest had been bothering Isaac, that was true. But what was truly on his mind was how the fact that he'd be leaving his mother all alone. It was obvious how uneasy she was from the moment that it was decided that he and Garet would be leaving tomorrow. Isaac shook his head; "Uneasy" was too tame a word. Distraught would have been a better term.

Dora had lost Kyle three yeas ago. Now Isaac would be the one to leave, with a large chance of not returning. Was this moral? The stars had been stolen and Jenna and Kraden kidnapped but that didn't make Isaac feel any less guilty about leaving. It _hurt_ to see his mother, formerly strong in spirit, reduced to becoming monosyllabic, distant and seemingly on the verge of breaking into tears. She hadn't even yelled at him for not patching up the roof correctly. Isaac had offered to remedy this but Dora told him not to bother, the words coming out as if they had to pass through a glass frame first.

So here he was, outside the door to her bedroom. She'd gone to bed early, advising him to do the same, saying that he had a "big day tomorrow." Isaac wasn't so sure about that, all he knew about tomorrow was that it would be his last day in Vale for quite some time, possibly his last time ever. Steeling himself, he knocked softly on the door.

"Mum, are you awake?" he asked softly. No answer. Perhaps she was asleep. Perhaps she simply didn't' want to talk to him. If it was the later, Isaac didn't' blame her. Not only was he leaving her all alone, it was partly because of him that his father had been lost to the boulder. They'd told the elders about how Saturos and Menardi were the ones who'd triggered the storm, how Isaac and Garet had got caught up in fighting with them and thus ensured that there was no chance of saving Kyle or Jenna's family.

Come to think of it, the elders hadn't seemed that surprised to hear about the event and how Saturos and Menardi were. Isaac shrugged it off-they'd probably already come to a conclusion.

"I'll be heading out for a bit so…" Isaac trailed off. What was the point? Either his mother was sleeping or was listening and held him in such valid contempt that she wasn't answering. Isaac solemnly turned away from the door and headed back down the stairs, self-loathing coursing through him. He headed out the door and was bathed in the light of the full moon. He looked up at it.

"Even Luna can see how incompetent I am," he thought bitterly, although felt that the scathing light was well earnt. He headed off into the night unanswered questions running rampant in his mind along with self doubt.

Practice makes perfect. That was what Garet kept reminding himself as he constantly tested his psyenergy out on his training stone. He knew that 'move' would do little good in the inevitable battle that would occur against Saturos and Menardi, but if it would make his psyenergy stronger he was willing to exert himself.

He moved the psyenergy stone along the grass, making sure it stayed clear of Kay's flowers. A lecture was the last thing that he needed now. The stone came to a halt. Deciding to follow up on the movement he cast a flare against it, scorching the stone's surface.

"Wow Garet, I'm impressed," came a voice, almost taking on a sarcastic tone. Garet turned and saw Kay walking over, smiling faintly. "You actually tested your fire psyenergy on a stone rather than on my flowers.

"Aw come on, what kind of lout do you take me for?" asked Garet indignantly although appreciating the humour. "Besides, I'm in no mood to experience your banshee imitation."

"What are you complaining about, I let you off didn't I?"

Garet had to admit that was true. With all the events that had occurred recently, Kay seemed to have forgotten her promise that he would be in for it tonight. Aaron's disappointment was only matched by his envy that his big brother would be going on an excited adventure.

"So, think you're up to the task?" asked Kay eventually as she looked down at the garden, seemingly struggling to make conversation.

"Yeah, I guess," shrugged her brother. "I mean, Saturos and Menardi can't be that tough right? And Felix is no fighter." He smiled; "Don't worry sis, we'll be back before you know it, Jenna and Kraden in tow."

Kay continued to face the flower bed. "What about Felix?" she asked. "Wouldn't you be bringing him back also?"

Garet shrugged again; "Maybe. It all depends on how he reacts after we kick his buddies' arses!" He broke into a grin. "It's his choice after that. Either he gives up there and then or he joins his friends."

Kay remained silent, leaving Garet feeling awkward. She seemed so…distant, all of a sudden. Come to think of it, she'd been like this ever since he'd told his family about what had happened in Sol Sanctum. While Aaron kept butting in every few seconds and his parents asked a pointless question every few seconds, Kay had listened passively.

"Would…would you really be able to carry out judgement?" asked Kay softly, her back still to Garet. "You know, actually…killing?"

"I dunno," said Garet simply. "I guess I'll have to find out when the time comes. No use thinking about it."

Kay was silent for awhile before eventually turning to face her brother. Garet raised an eyebrow-it may have been due to the darkness, but there was something about her visage that seemed…'strained', for want of a better word.

"Garet, this is going to sound weird but…" She trailed off.

"But what?" asked Garet impatiently.

"Would it be alright if I… you know, requested that you grant a favour?"

"Sure, what is it?"

Kay went to say something, but seemingly couldn't' get the words to come out. She faced the ground, twisting her foot in a small circle, letting the silence continue.

"Come on sis, hurry up!" exclaimed Garet. "The night won't stay young forever!"

A few seconds passed before Kay raised her head to look back at him, seemingly on the verge of tears. "Just…just take care of yourself ok?" Without even waiting for a response, she hurried back inside.

"Huh? That's not a favour!" exclaimed Garet, puzzled at his sister's odd behaviour. If Kay had heard him there was no indication of her having done so, as no answer was received.

"Meh. That's females for you," he said to no-one in particular.

"Or just Kay," came a voice.

Garet's hair suddenly became pointier as he spun around to the source of the voice, drawing his sword as he did so. He relaxed somewhat upon seeing that it was only Isaac.

"Damit man, don't' scare me like that!" exclaimed the Mars Adept, sheathing his sword.

"Sorry," murmured Isaac. He looked at Garet's house. "So what's up with your sister?"

"I dunno," shrugged Garet. "One minute we're talking normally and the next she goes all weird."

"Hmm. Anyway, see ya." With that, Isaac started walking up the path that led to the bridge. Garet followed curiously.

"Say, is there some kind of virus going around or something?" he asked.

"Not to my knowledge, why?" asked Isaac, not breaking his stride or even looking at his friend.

"Well, Kay starts acting weird all of a sudden just as you show up. Now you're the one who's acting strange."

"Really? Hows' that?" asked Isaac, continuing his stride across the bridge.

"Well you've gone back to your old monosyllabic self, you're wandering around for no real reason and you've barely acknowledged my presence."

"What, you have a desire for attention?"

"Well no, but-…"

"Then what's the problem?"

Garet sighed as Isaac kept walking, himself following. Why did his friend have to be such a hard nut to crack sometimes?

The people of Vale seemed to know more about what was going on than Los had originally given them credit for. Given the amount of people that had headed to the tavern, it seemed like that they wanted to get stoned one last time before the world went to hell. Or maybe it was because there was an active volcano above them that would rumble three or four times each hour.

Or maybe the tavern was usually full. Los didn't know and didn't really care. All he knew was that the establishment was too crowded for his liking and as such his traveller's attire would make him stand out. Hence, he'd chosen to sample ale at the inn. Luckily it was completely empty apart from Herbert, who eyed him suspiciously. Understandable, considering that he'd barely said a word and that they'd originally arranged to meet by Vale Cave.

Los looked down into the white foam of what had to be his fifth or sixth glass, suddenly desiring the oblivion that only alcohol could provide. Not that there was much chance of that of course, the substance that coursed through his veins ensured that, among other things, he was nearly immune to the ale's detrimental effects. An advantage under usual circumstances. A disadvantage in this example.

"You going to actually tell me what's going on?" asked Herbert eventually.

"What's this, the big fat innkeeper actually showing curiosity?" chuckled Los. "You're more intelligent than I anticipated."

Herbert flinched but declined to comment, instead looking at his patron' seventh mug. Los noticed this and chuckled harder; "Don't bother saying it, I know what you're thinking."

"Huh?"

Los drained half his mug in a single swig before continuing; "You're about to say 'I think you've had enough'. After that, I get all angry, grab you by the collar and shout 'enough? I'll tell you when I've had enough!" With less than a second passing, he drained the remaining ale. "Another helping please," he said.

Herbert eyed the mug; "I dunno, I think you've had enough."

"Hah! I was right!" Los laughed as if it was the most humorous thing in the world. Either the alcohol _was_ having an effect on him or he was culturally deprived. Herbert would have been willing to bet money on either.

"Isn't it time that you told me what was going on?" asked Herbert as he handed Los what he counted to be his eighth helping.

"Nothing to tell," said Los simply. He went to take a swig but was interrupted by Herbert, who suddenly grabbed the top of his tunic, drawing his head in close.

"I think there is," he hissed, hoping his temporary burst of courage would last. "You turn up here instead of Hans, without elaborating on why this is the case. You refuse to tell me your name. And I think it's pretty convenient that Mt. Aleph suddenly erupts the day you decide to turn up, along with Jenna and Kraden getting kidnapped."

Los met his glare for a few seconds before prying his hand away. "Do you want a good lie or a harsh truth?" he asked eventually.

"I'll take the later."

Los took a sip before continuing; "Very well. The truth of the matter is that the world is doomed and one way or another we share its fate."

Herbert remained silent for a few seconds. "Ok…" he said slowly. "Are you going to tell me how long you've been a ranting prophet of doom?"

"What, you don't believe me?"

"Why should I? Any overly morbid person can say how the world's gone to hell and how the human race is doomed to extinction."

Los went to take another sip but decided against it. The ale was doing little to brighten his mood, instead simply getting him as drunk as it was possible. "Fine, don't believe me," he said as he rose. "Whatever helps you sleep at night." He dropped a bag of coins on the counter that was worth more than what he owed the innkeeper (not that Herbert would bother pointing that out) and headed for the door.

"Wait, wasn't I meant to fill you in on something?" asked Herbert. Los stopped and faced the door. "It doesn't matter anymore," he said simply. "The girl's been kidnapped and won't be returning to Vale anytime soon."

"What about Isaac and Garet?" asked Herbert.

"Who?"

"Isaac and Garet. Apparently they've set off on a journey to rescue Jenna and Kraden."

Isaac and Garet. The names sounded familiar to Los. It took awhile to remember given that the ale's effects were still working. Ah yes. Isaac and Garet. Two boys that apparently showed psyenergetic potential along with Jenna. But what did that mean in regards to Saturos and Menardi? Nothing, as far as Los was concerned.

"They're rushing to their doom then," he said as he headed out. He heard the innkeeper call out to him as he did so but ignored his voice. He wasn't really in the mood for conversation, especially with someone who was too ignorant to accept the simple fact that the world was doomed and there was nothing they could do about it.

"But no doubt that's typical of all the people in Vale," he thought bitterly. "They set this in action themselves." He looked around the village. What had once seemed beautiful now disgusted him

A town of fools. Nothing more, nothing less. They'd made the right decision in sealing alchemy, but why hadn't they listened to Thelos's words of advice? They called him the epitome of wisdom yet decided to ignore his words in ensuring a more foolproof method of keeping the stars sealed. He saw the dangers of returning alchemy but the sages, no doubt wanting to experience a return to the Golden Age.

And what did that age encompass? Glorious civilisation leading to endless war. Alchemy was no gift, it was a curse. Seemingly blind to this, the saviours pressed on. Thelos himself had tried to cast the second set of seals but was cut down in battle by that bitch Vani, who'd allowed the possibility of extracting the stars to return alchemy, blind to the dangers that such a threat posed.

Power corrupted reason. It was a tragic fact and there was no avoiding it.

Thelos's grandson Cain, who'd accepted the truth also, had vowed to carry on his work, leading those who'd thought along the same lines. Consequently the Rouge Sages were formed. As a sign of their defiance they sealed their bodies off from psyenergy, using the same substance that coursed through Los's veins. Effectively, they ceased to become adepts. Of course, that was _before_ they realised that only adepts could enter Sol Sanctum.

Having been deprived of the possibility of saving Weyard quickly, they had to take the long road. The elders had seemed to have come to the same conclusion that they had but they still refused to acknowledge the necessity of harsher methods to ensure Weyard's safety. So as a result, the Rouge Sages had taken on the task. A three-thousand year vigil that was nearing its end. Well, it _had_ been nearing its end, given that within a few generations alchemy would be beyond the point of recovery. Now however, its vigil was coming to an end because the world was coming to an end, due to the actions of a bunch of thieves that wanted alchemy for itself. Saturos, Menardi and two other individuals that Los didn't recognise but were no doubt just as power hungry and immoral.

Los knew that it was his duty to try and stop them but what could he do? All he had was two short swords that he probably couldn't even use properly, a certain projectile weapon which would be next to useless given their fire psyenergy and a useless gauntlet that seemed to have been left behind by Thelos as some kind of stupid joke. Perhaps he could reach his brethren before too much damage was done, but he doubted it. If the scrolls he'd translated were correct, the world was about to become quite dangerous.

Basically things were screwed and he couldn't do anything about it.

Los had been so caught up in letting out his angst that he'd barely been paying attention to where he'd been walking. Still, looking at where he was now, heading up towards Kraden's cottage, he realised that his subconsciousness had a destination in mind. Vale Cave.

It was a sign of how desperate the situation was that his last ray of hope was a bouncing ball of joy that was aligned to the element of wind. Los didn't know if the other djinn had escaped Mt. Aleph but even if they had, his chances of finding them were next to nothing. At least he knew Kite's location and that she, unlike many of Vale's residents, presumably understood the enormity of the situation. Sure she'd helped that bitch Vani but she'd simply been doing what she thought was right. Hopefully what she currently thought was right was in tune with his own beliefs.

Of course, there was the fact that Kite was someone he could talk to that wasn't an ignorant tub of lard.

Eventually, he reached the cave and without a moment's hesitation walked in. However, he soon broke his stride. There was something…different about the cave. Something felt…oppressive.

"Kite? Are you here?" he asked. No answer.

"Kite, it's me. Los. The guy who you gave a nasty bruise to." He tried to make the words sound humorous but failed miserably, instead reaching for the hilt of one of his swords.

"Kite I…" He trailed off, as something had caught his eye.

A pool of silver blood had built up in the corner. What really caught his attention however, was the source of it, the sight of which made his stomach turn.

It was Kite.

"You going to tell me what's bugging you or are you going to keep staring at the water?"

No answer. Garet sighed and continued to watch Isaac sit by the bank of the river, silently staring at the water. Garet could tell that something was bothering him, it was pretty obvious. However, he had no idea as to what was causing his friend to act this way. Therefore, he had to make do with trying to make conversation.

"Pretty big day tomorrow eh?" said Garet, still persisting. "Just think, we'll be leaving Vale, seeing the world, saving Jenna and Kraden-…"

"You don't' have to remind me," said Isaac bitterly.

Garet was partially glad that he'd got a response from Isaac, even if it wasn't the one that he was expecting. "What's wrong with reminding you?" he asked. "I thought you'd be glad to leave, you know, like one of the adventures we used to imagine having when we were kids."

"That's right, rub the irony in why don't you?" said Isaac bitterly.

"Huh?"

"What's to be excited about?" asked Isaac, rising to meet his friend's puzzled look.

"Something wrong with that?"

"We're chasing after a bunch of thieves that are no doubt superior to us in terms of martial prowess and psyenergetic skill, not to mention having Jenna and Kraden! We have no idea where they're going! And to top it off, Felix is with them!

"_That's _what you're worried about?" exclaimed Garet. "Damit, if that's all the confidence you have you may as well stay here!"

"Well maybe that would be a wiser choice!" shouted Isaac, the anger mainly due to frustration. "All we're doing is rushing into certain death!"

"Oh, so suddenly you're a pessimist?" asked Garet.

There was another uneasy silence which allowed Garet to continue; "Just focus on the task at hand pal. We've been given a task by some giant rock thing so we may as well do it." Isaac snorted at this. A giant boulder giving them a task. Well, it was original at least.

"Yeah, you're right," he said. "After all, Jenna and Kraden are counting on us. Maybe we'll be able to save Felix too."

"Save him?" asked Garet. "But he's the enemy. Why would we be _saving_ him?"

"What, you think he's serving Saturos and Menardi willingly?"

"Don't see why not," shrugged Garet. "He wasn't exactly resisting Saturos and Menardi's orders back in the star chamber. May as well think of him as an enemy for now."

Isaac sighed and went back to staring at the river. Garet and Felix had never been the best of friends and he could therefore understand his friend's simple attitude towards his (former) friend, but was it the right course of action? As much as he hated to admit it, Garet probably had the right idea. Hoping that Felix could pull through, he was probably being too idealistic. He continued to stare at the water as memories came flooding back to him…

**Ten Years Ago**

"_So much for the Christmas spirit," murmured Isaac as he and Jenna watched Felix and Garet continue their fistfight in the snow. It had been going on for about seven minutes with no sign of abating._

"_Christmas spirit? What's that?" asked Jenna, who'd given up yelling at her friends to break it up._

"_Hell if I know," shrugged Isaac. "Something about spreading joy and taking pleasure in giving rather than receiving. Wait, maybe it's the other way around…anyway, you get the idea."_

"_Yeah, sure…" said Jenna slowly, not really understanding at all. She continued to watch the two boys wrestle, fists flying and numerous insults thrown that, while seemingly atrocious now, paled in comparison to the profanities that she'd be able to utter in ten years time._

"_How long do you think it'll take for them to stop fighting?" asked Jenna._

"_I'd say…at least a week."_

"_A week?" exclaimed Jenna, still a bit young to fully understand sarcasm._

"_Ok, maybe not that long," chuckled Isaac. "Still, they won't be stopping in the near future. After all-…"_

"_Felix! Garet! What do you two think you're doing?_

_Isaac was forced to eat his own words as he saw Kay heading over, looking ready to kill. Whereas Jenna had failed to break the two boys up, Kay succeeded impressively as they immediately stopped fighting and rose to their feet. This wasn't due to any real authority that she conveyed, she simply had the advantage of being the eldest and had been tasked with watching over them their parents doing…well, whatever boring stuff that adults did._

"_This is great. I leave you guys for ten minutes and I come back to find you acting like a bunch of crazed nutcases. Either of you like to explain what happened?"_

"_He did it!" yelled Garet and Felix simultaneously, each pointing at his counterpart._

_Kay sighed and looked at Isaac and Jenna; "Can either of you two enlighten me?"_

"_Fraid not," said Isaac, not wanting to take sides._

"_Me either," said Jenna, not wanting to let her brother down yet knew that it wasn't a good idea to get Garet angry._

_Seeing that she wasn't going to get any answers out of the two younger members of the foursome, Kay turned to the elder members, although her brother's behaviour didn't always indicate it. At least Felix's maturity balanced it out. "Alright, one of you guys has a lot of explaining to…"_

"_To what?" asked Garet, noticing his sister rushing over towards Felix._

"_Felix, are you ok?" she asked._

"_Huh?"_

"_You're lip's bleeding!" she exclaimed, taking out a tissue to wipe the blood off. She glared at her brother as she did so; "Nice going Garet!"_

"_What are you blaming me for, he's the one who started it!" he exclaimed. Seeing that he wasn't going to get any sympathy, he headed over to Isaac and Jenna._

"_Thanks for the support guys," he muttered._

"_You're welcome," said Isaac, noticing Felix and Kay heading over. "Better work on your lying act Garet, your sister doesn't look too convinced."_

"_What? Felix was the one who started the fight and you know it," Garet hissed._

"_That's not true! You were the one who started it!" exclaimed Jenna, loud enough for Kay to hear._

_Garet sighed as he prepared for the inevitable lecture, the only consolation being that it was coming from his sister rather than his parents. Isaac sniggered as he looked on. He couldn't help but feel that he'd betrayed Garet by leaving him to the buzzards, but he knew that all such actions only had temporary consequences, if any. He felt safe in the knowledge that nothing would come between them._

**Present Day**

"Hey Isaac. Isaac!"

Garet's shouting snapped Isaac out of it. He turned back to face his friend. "Sorry. Had a…micro slip or something."

"I think that's an understatement. You were totally out of it."

Isaac simply shrugged, not wanting to dwell on the subject. It was funny how it took bitter irony ten years to manifest, especially it was Felix of all people that had caused their group to split due to his actions. He turned back to look at Garet, who was giving him a quizzical look, something that he'd been doing often. However, something caught his eye other than the look, something on the ledge above them, something near Kraden's house. Without a word, he started heading up the stairs.

"Hey I'm still talking to you!" shouted Garet, heading after him. Isaac didn't' answer, simply heading up the stairs. Garet sighed-if Isaac was like this on their quest, perhaps staying in Vale wasn't such a bad idea.

It didn't take them long for them to reach the upper ledge, where Garet saw what Isaac had-there was an individual kneeling down by what looked like a mound of dirt with a flower stuck on top of it. Garet leant over towards Isaac;

"You brought us up here to look at some dirt loving stranger?"

"There's an important word in that sentence and it isn't dirt loving."

"…that's two words."

"Alright, whatever," hissed back Isaac, surprised that Garet had actually picked up on something like that. "My point is that there's a traveller there, presumably one of the six that arrived today and there's a chance of him being affiliated with Saturos and Menardi."

"How can you tell?"

"Look at his cloak. It's usual traveller attire."

It was possible that Isaac was being overly paranoid, but given the circumstances, perhaps it was justified. Garet gave him a nod and drew his sword, walking over cautiously with Isaac following. Either the stranger was oblivious to their presence or simply chose to ignore them as the two adepts were able to get right behind him.

"Get up," said Garet. "_Slowly_,"

"Wow, someone knows his lines well," the man responded, sarcasm blatantly obvious.

"Just do it," Garet snarled.

"Fine." With that the man started rising slowly as Garet had ordered. However, his obedience only lasted a few seconds. With surprising speed, he suddenly rolled forward, bringing one leg up which kicked Garet's sword into the air. It spun lazily with Garet ready to catch it but before he could do so the stranger barged into him, sending the Mars Adept sprawling. Before Garet could recover he found two short swords around his neck like a pincer.

"I think you need more practice," the stranger sneered. "A lot more-…"

He never finished his sentence as he was suddenly sent sprawling, courtesy of a quake used by Isaac. One of his short swords fell out of his hand and Isaac picked it up, rushing over towards him. The stranger flipped up, bringing his remaining blade to meet Isaac's.

The man thrust his sword at Isaac's chest which he was able to deflect, in turn bringing his sword around in an arc which the man was able to parry, also kicking Isaac back and consequently widening the distance between the two. Garet hurled a fireball at him which he was able to deflect with his sword. An uneasy silence followed, a standoff having developed.

"Any reason that you chose to attack me?" the man asked eventually.

"Attacked?" asked Garet. "You're the one who chose to make things difficult!"

"Well pardon me, it's just that you two didn't seem to be going for diplomacy," he sneered.

Garet went to continue the argument but Isaac beat him to it; "We're not going to get anywhere by arguing. Just relax, we don't mean you any harm."

Garet blinked at him; "That's the corniest reassurance I ever heard."

"I'm inclined to agree but I don't see any reassurance either," said the stranger. "Why don't you prove what you say is the truth?"

Isaac weighed his options and soon came to a decision, tossing the stranger's shortsword to him. He caught it by the hilt easily and sheathed it along with the other.

"Thank you for respecting my wishes," he said. "I'm glad to see that we've reached an understanding."

"Hey, we haven't even begun yet!" said Garet. "Don't think you're off the hook yet!"

"Indeed? What did I do to get on it in the first place?"

"Garet, calm down, I'll handle this," said Isaac, walking forward. "Let's just say that we've had trouble with…visitors lately," he said, deciding that "thieving bastards" would be a bit too extreme.

"Ah yes, you're referring to Saturos and Menardi aren't you?"

"What?" The two adepts were…surprised, to say the least. Garet had picked up his sword by now and wasn't' afraid to use it. "How do you know them?" he growled.

It may have been due to the darkness but Isaac could swear that the stranger's face narrowed in response to the question. "I never said I know them. I simply know of them."

"And what do you know?" asked Isaac.

There was definitely no mistaking the narrowing of the stranger's face as he explained; "What I do know is limited, but suffice to say that they're both power hungry, immoral bastards that only set value on power, with life being an irrelevant issue."

"No surprises there," growled Garet. "Not only did they cause a storm three years ago that claimed three lives but they also left us to die in Sol Sanctum."

"Sol Sanctum? You actually went up Mt. Aleph and entered Sol Sanctum?" exclaimed the traveller, clearly surprised.

"Yeah we…wait a minute, how do you know about Sol Sanctum?" asked Isaac. "Who are you anyway?"

"Er, Los," he answered, slightly uneasy. "I…know a bit about relics of the Lost Age."

"_Really_?" asked Garet sceptically. "How do we know that you're not with them?"

"Look, if I was with them, I would have killed you by now," said Los.

He could tell that the two adepts were still suspicious and given that they'd both shown a surprising level of psyenergy. He also felt that he'd seen them before, but dismissed it as a side effect of the ale. He gestured at the mound of earth;

"Look, that right there is a testament to what they can do," he declared.

"What, summon a mound of earth?" asked Garet

"No dummy, it's a grave," said Isaac, kneeling down. He looked up at Los; "Care to explain why it's so small?"

Los looked pensive as he answered; "A djinn got in their way," he said. "They cut the poor thing down without mercy. I tried to save it but it was too late."

"They're that small?" asked Isaac, remembering that the Wise One had mentioned something about the djinn.

"Yeah, but don't let their size fool you, they're quite powerful," said Los. "And as intelligent as any of us."

Garet had clenched his fist in anger while Isaac remained silent, rage building up inside him. Los looked down with satisfaction. He'd done it; he'd increased their hatred of their foes through manipulation. He'd remembered who they were-these two were Garet and Isaac, the same boys he'd seen walking with Jenna and Kraden, the same two that were chasing after Saturos and Menardi.

Los would never admit it he was genuinely impressed with the small psyenergy show that he'd seen. The Rouge Sages were right to take an interest in them, although Jenna was the only one that had received 'treatment.' Still, that was probably for the best. Their psyenergy could turn out to be a useful weapon, perhaps the only weapon that could succeed against the thieves. A lesser evil had to be used to overcome a greater one.

Isaac rose to his feet, a determined look on his face. "I take it that you have a grudge against them too."

Los shrugged; "You could say that."

"Then why don't you come with us? It'll help even the odds and numbers."

"Yeah, two other guys are with them, Alex and Felix," said Garet, particular hatred coming out for the later individual coming out in his voice.

"Hmm, haven't heard of Alex," said Los. "But did you say the other one was named Felix?"

"Yeah, why?" asked Garet.

Los realised that he'd let it slip; "Er, never mind.

"No seriously, why did you ask?"

"Um, er…I used to know someone called Felix," Los lied. "I just automatically thought that they were one and the same."

"Fraid that isn't the case," said Garet bitterly. "The Felix that's joined with them is a former friend of ours."

"But not anymore?" asked Los.

"No. He's turned his back on Vale and even kidnapped his own sister." Garet spat to indicate his disgust.

Los nodded in understanding, hiding his shock. The Felix that had joined Saturos and Menardi must have been the same one that had supposedly died three years ago. If his potential was anything like that which Isaac and Garet showed, matters had become a great deal more difficult.

Isaac looked slightly regretful for a second but it quickly passed. He turned to face Los; "Listen, we may need all the help that we can get. You seem ok with those swords of yours. Think you can assist us?"

Los genuinely considered the question before answering; "I'd like to, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to decline your offer. I have…other business to attend to."

"Really? Like what?" asked Garet, still suspicious.

"I'm under no obligation to tell you."

Garet started heading towards him but Isaac interposed; "Garet, calm down." Muttering, Garet obliged. Isaac turned to Los; "Very well. I respect your decision." Los nodded and drew something out of his pocket. It looked like a piece of parchment; "Here, take this."

"What is it?" asked Isaac as he took it.

"It's a map," explained Los as Isaac opened it up. "It shows the continent of Angara as well as the north of Gondowan. I'm guessing that you Valeans wouldn't come by many maps."

Garet looked over Isaac's shoulder, taking note at all the blue…stuff. "What's that?" he asked.

"The sea, what did you think?" asked Los.

Garet looked excited for a moment then looked crestfallen. "Damn. It's nowhere near Vale."

Isaac continued to study the landmass, taking note of the names of various towns-Vault, Bilbin, Tolbi… "Any idea where the lighthouses are?" he asked Los.

"I'm afraid not," he answered. "I'm guessing that their locations were kept secret."

Isaac nodded and folded the map up. He looked towards Vale's east. Sunrise didn't appear to be far off. He turned back to look at Los; "Thanks for the map. I'm sure that we'll make use of it."

"No worries," said Los. "Still, I have one favour to ask in return."

"What?" asked Garet.

Los had a straight look on his face as he answered; "I request that you leave Saturos and Menardi alive."

"What? Why?" exclaimed Garet. "Why would we leave those two alive?"

"I have my reasons. Surely that's enough?"

Garet wasn't too sure but Isaac simply nodded. "I can't guarantee anything but hopefully it won't come to dealing death. You're probably in the clear."

"Thank you, er…"

"Isaac. This is Garet," answered the Venus Adept "Anyway, we best be off." With that, he started heading back to his house. Garet followed, casting a suspicious glance. Los simply watched them go.

Garet caught up with Isaac, who was walking more briskly than he had been before. "You sure we can trust him?" he asked.

"Who?"

"That guy back there. Los, or whatever his name was."

Isaac shrugged. "Don't see why not. After all, he did give us a map"

"Yeah, but don't you think that you're being too trusting?" asked Garet. "Not only did he know an awful lot about Vale and psyenergy, but he actually wants us to spare Saturos and Menardi!"

Isaac stopped and turned to face his friend; "Would you actually be willing to deal death?"

Garet shrugged; "I'll do what's necessary. Of course, the ultimate decision would rest with you."

"Huh? Why?" asked Isaac.

Garet chuckled; "Come on pal, don't be so modest. You're a natural leader."

"Er, really?"

"Come on, think about it. Back at Sol Sanctum, you took charge. You used the sword in the dirt trick, you restrained Jenna and myself with the statues. Leadership comes naturally."

Isaac was slightly taken aback-he had the characteristics of a leader? That came as a surprise. Garet and Jenna usually seemed to take the leading roles given their personalities.

"You sure you're not getting mixed up with Jenna?" Isaac asked.

"Come on, don't be so modest." The words were simple but they had the desired effect-adding to the chain of events that had given Isaac the confidence he needed.

"Maybe you're right," said Isaac, smiling faintly. "Sorry if I was a bit…pessimistic."

"Don't worry, maybe you had the right idea," said Garet, looking slightly less sure of himself. "I mean, what if we fail?"

Isaac glared at him, fire dancing in his blue eyes. He'd gained the confidence he needed, he didn't' want to see Garet lose his. He walked over and said two simple words;

"We won't."

**Author's Notes**

Hah, I'm guessing that you expected this chapter to feature Isaac and Garet leaving Vale. Sorry to disappoint you. Anyway, I swear with Sol as my witness that in the next chapter we'll be leaving this backwater town.

Yeah, pretty much a filler chapter and perhaps slightly pointless, although quite a few hints at…stuff was provided as you can tell. Writing emotionally charged characters isn't my forte but hopefully a sense of progression could be felt.

This chapter actually differs fairly significantly from the draft. In the original;

-The conversation between Isaac and his mother would be featured fully.

-Garet would have a lack of confidence as well as Isaac.

-Los's back-story wasn't actually going to be implemented at this stage. However, I decided to provide you with his general background, so his motivations seem clearer. Hopefully I provided an adequate description of the Rouge Sages while still leaving some issues ambiguous.

-The bar scene wasn't featured, instead he and Herbert would meet by the cave. Given how generally morbid the chapter is, I felt it might do to have some semi-comic relief, although nothing special.

-It was actually going to end with Los doing…well, you'll find out. Still, I decided to do something different and NOT end it on a cliff-hanger. Aren't I kind?

Ok, that's pretty much it. Next chapter, the quest proper can actually begin, Isaac and Garet finding their destinies, fighting evil…well, you get the idea.

As for Los…well, let's just say a pressing question will be answered while many other questions are brought up. Oh and the map he gave them, as you can probably tell, is the same map that features in GS1.

Until next time.


	16. Farewell to Vale

**Golden Sun: The Broken Seal**

**Chapter 15: Farewell to Vale**

Dawn. The beginning of a new day. It usually heralded the beginning of people getting up to do whatever mundane chores they had to do, along with the sun steadily rising, the birds singing, the flowers opening up, the bees seemingly having sex or whatever pollination was…

Dawn had come to Vale as usual but it seemed to defy its standard routine in that people couldn't be seen walking around doing whatever chores they had to do. It was as if the village was deserted. And two small children standing in the town square were extremely perplexed.

"Is it just me or are we the only ones here?" asked the small boy. A blue tunic and a tuff of blonde hair complemented his miniscule appearance.

"What do you expect, everyone's at the town gate Sean," answered his twin sister Jill, her hair in two pigtails being the only noticeable difference in terms of appearance rather than gender.

"Huh? Why's that?"

"What, didn't you hear?" asked Jill. "Isaac and Garet are leaving Vale on a journey. Everyone's down at the town gate to see them off."

"Wow, really?" exclaimed Sean. "Man, I wish I could come!"

"What, don't be silly," exclaimed his sister. "I heard that it's going to be really dangerous."

"Yeah, that's why I want to go."

Jill sighed as her brother's excitement built up, a stark contrast to yesterday. Aaron had promised them a show at his house which featured his Kay yelling at Garet but upon showing up he told them that it had been cancelled. To top matters off, Sean had stayed up all night whimpering due to the rumbles that Mt. Aleph was producing. It was less violent now but occasionally a rumble would come out of nowhere, startling everyone.

"Shouldn't we be down there too?" asked Sean.

Jill glanced down at the group assembled by the gate; "Yeah, may as well," she said. "The Great Elder should have finished his speech by now."

"Ok, let's go." With that, they both began running down, hoping to arrive in time to say goodbye to Isaac and Garet but avoid long, boring speeches.

They were in luck. The Great Elder was just wrapping up as they arrived; "That is all I have to say. Isaac, Garet; Vale and the whole world are counting on you." Isaac and Garet nodded, both of them having barely taken a word in.

The two boys hardly looked like heroes that were going to save the world. They were clothed in their standard attire, the only noticeable difference being the small backpacks they wore, carrying cooking utensils and rations. They also had around a hundred gold coins in total, the result of donations from the villagers. Whether this would be enough they didn't know. Currency didn't have as much bearing in Valean life as it supposedly did in other cities.

An uneasy silence had decended, with everyone wondering how to break it. Kay volunteered; "Guess this is it Garet. Remember; don't drink the water if it smells funny."

"Come on sis, I know not to drink stagnant water!" exclaimed Garet, not liking where this was going.

"Don't listen to him Isaac, he's a pig!" exclaimed Aaron. "He'll eat anything that isn't tied down."

A few veins seemed to be showing in Garet's forehead as Isaac chuckled; "Don't worry; most of the rations are in my pack. I'll keep a close eye on them." A few more veins showed as Garet toyed with the idea of incinerating everyone left, right and centre. However, he decided against it. He had to practice keeping his psyenergy hidden. The Great Elder had told them that although they were free to use it as they deemed necessary, they should be careful when using it in front of other people. Psyenergy was virtually non-existent in the outside world. There was no telling how people would react to such seemingly supernatural powers.

"So, we ready to go yet?" Garet asked Isaac, not wanting to have the whole town gang up on him.

"Garet, how could you say that?" exclaimed Kay. "Dora isn't here yet."

"Oh, that's right!" exclaimed Aaron. He ran up to Isaac. "Here Isaac, Aunty Dora asked me to give these to you."

Aaron had procured two items. One was an envelope that supposedly contained written parchment, no doubt a letter. The other item was far more important-the catch beads. They allowed their user to use 'catch', a psyenergetic technique if worn around the wrist.

"She…she gave these to you?" asked Isaac.

"Yeah, we stopped by as we were heading down to the gate," said Aaron.

Isaac looked down at the floor. He'd seen his mother at breakfast, who, while more cheerful than she had been last night, still made her words and laughs sound forced. She'd told him to head down to the gate, telling him that she'd been down to see him off. Isaac looked at the crowd of faces, his mother absent. So far, she hadn't made good on her promise.

Yet the resentment that Isaac was feeling directed towards himself. He knew that he had to chase after Saturos and Menardi and rescue Jenna and Kraden along with the Elemental Stars, but it didn't make leaving much easier. He was leaving his mother all alone, putting the world before her. The right thing to do seemingly, but that knowledge was cold comfort.

"Isaac, please understand what Dora is feeling," said Katherine. "As Garet's mother, I know how she must be feeling." She paused before continuing; "I still have Kay and Aaron along with the rest of our family but you're all that Dora has left. Not saying goodbye would be easier on her than doing so."

Isaac nodded-she was right on about everything she said.

"Right, I think that's everything taken care of," said Heph. "So, one final farewell everyone?"

The entire village erupted in a cheer, waving and shouting encouragement. Garet grinned at Isaac, who was only smiling faintly. They headed out the gate, Garet constantly glancing back and waving at the still cheering crowd. In contrast, Isaac kept his eyes straight ahead. He knew that if he turned back, he'd never want to leave. He'd return someday, but when that was, he didn't know.

Thus, he kept striding.

The quest to save Weyard had begun.

**Vale Cave**

If one had been passing by Vale Cave at the right moment, they would have heard a short groan. Even the least curious would probably wonder where it came from, considering that people weren't meant to enter the cave and the only way a groan could have come from inside it would be if someone had broken that rule. The only other possibility was that it was a living cave that groaned to scare away intruders, in tune with evil spirits…

They would have probably believed the first possibility.

If the individual had decided to indulge their curiosity and walked in, they would have seen that the groan had come from what looked like a traveller lying on the floor, slowly rising to his feet. Perhaps they would have rushed over, concerned about his well being. However, they would have soon realised that the groan was nothing more than a vocal reaction to waking up with a splitting headache and knowing why that was the case.

"Ohh, I'm never drinking again," moaned Los softly as he managed to sit against the cave wall, fighting back the urge to vomit all over the place. He rubbed his forehead, going over a number of pressing facts; he was recovering from a hangover, he'd overestimated his ability to deal with alcohol, he was fighting the urge to vomit, he was desperately in need of some water and…he stopped going over things there. The last fact was that he still hadn't a clue what he'd exactly gone through last night. It all seemed like a dream…

**XXXX**

_Los was in a good mood as he watched the two adepts walk away. Part of his mind was pointing out the irony in the situation in that he actually had to rely on adepts, but he ignored it. He instead felt elation, happy that perhaps there was still hope for Weyard._

_However, guilt was holding back some of his joy. He turned to face the grave that he'd dug for Kite. Telling the two boys that Saturos and Menardi were responsible for her death, that hardly did her justice. Although there was a slight possibility that the two Proxians had indeed added another individual to their list of victims he doubted that it was the case. Although there was no definite proof, he suspected that 'they' had been responsible._

_If that was the case, Kite deserved a great amount of respect, more respect than using her death as an excuse to incite hatred. But surely that was the right thing to do, right? The two boys needed all the motivation that could come their way if they were to succeed. He'd done the right thing for the world, but not for Kite._

"_Kite, I'm sorry," he whispered, kneeling down by the grave. "You deserve more respect, I know that. Please understand, it had to be done." To Los, it felt like empty words. It was strange that he considered a creature that had given him a concussion a friend, despite the fact that they'd met around twelve hours ago._

_To Los, it felt like he'd simply spat on her grave. He rose, wanting to say more but feeling that any explanation of his actions would simply be an excuse, a way of lying to himself. "If there's such thing as an afterlife, if spirits can watch us, she must hate me right now," he thought bitterly._

"_Don't worry; I doubt that's the case."_

_Los spun around to the source of the voice but found himself staring into inky blackness. He glanced around, taking note of his surroundings. Odd…despite the fact that sunrise was nearing it seemed darker than it had been a few hours ago._

"_Glad to see that you've recovered from your concussion. Does it still hurt at all?"_

_Los spun around to find the voice's source again-exactly where he'd faced last time, the same patch of blackness. "Can darkness actually talk to people?" he wondered. "Maybe I had too much to drink after all."_

"_No, you haven't had too much to drink," came the voice again._

"_What the hell?" Los wondered. "Did he just read my thoughts?" He drew out one of his shortswords slowly; "Show yourself!" he demanded._

"_Very well, if you insist."_

_Los tightened his grip on the shortsword, not out of perceiving the unseen individual as a threat necessarily but because of the fact that there was simply something that…unnerved him. A kind of detached indifference. There was also the fact that the voice was eerily familiar._

_What unnerved him even more was the fact that the stranger literally stepped out of the darkness in front of him, causing Los to involuntarily take a step back. It wasn't a case of the stranger hiding in the darkness; it was more the case that the stranger had been **part** of the darkness._

_However, what Los immediately realised was this was the same man that had visited the cave, his physical appearance matching Kite's description-a drab grey tunic with eyes to match, long silvery hair, a sheathed katana and what looked like a chain around its neck, whatever talisman it was hung to hidden beneath his clothing._

"_Who are you?" he snarled._

"_I am like you," said the stranger. "My name has no bearing on me."_

"_Wow, that does sound corny," thought Los. He snapped back to attention; "Answer my question!"_

"_Fine, if you so insist, you may call me Nalu."_

"_Nalu? That's just an anagram of Luna."_

"_So? I can't say that Los is any more cryptic. Why don't you go by your normal name…Pavel?"_

_The night was silent but it didn't seem that way to Los, or Pavel as he was actually called. A roaring was sounding in his ears, matched only by his inner rage building up. Such a secret so casually blurted out. Events were heading in an unwanted direction._

"_Who are you?" Los snarled again, although the question took on a more sinister meaning. "What is your purpose for being here?"_

"_I am the agent of the Enlightened One, the one who will lead humanity to salvation, the one who-…"_

_The so called agent wasn't allowed to continue as Los charged at him, both shortswords drawn. The situation rankled and the stranger's manner of speech unnerved him. Los was further shaken when Nalu parried his attacks with his katana, the blade still sheathed. The speed at which he moved was phenomenal-any thrust, slash or downward arc that Los was brought against him was seemingly parried before his arm even fully extended._

_Los thrust one of the shortswords at Nalu who kicked it away, bringing his own sheathed sword to Los's chest, the tip just touching. There was almost a shocked silence on Los's part. If the blade had been thrust one centimetre further and been unsheathed, blood would have been piling up on the ground in front of him._

_He was so taken aback that he barely noticed his adversary do a spinning kick, propelling him five feet backwards, landing on his back, winded. Fighting back the pain, he managed to rise to one knee, still keeping his eyes on his foe. _

_Nalu's leg was still pointed upwards, the angle unwavering. After about five seconds he brought it down, spun his sword around and stopped it at a diagonal angle, the hilt pointing upwards, the palm of his right hand showing the symbol of a golden sun half eclipsed by a silver moon._

"_That symbol, what is it?" asked Los, fighting the pain in his chest._

"_What, this?" asked Nalu, looking at his palm. "Merely something to fool that djinn."_

"_What?"_

_Nalu chuckled; "Simply an adjustment to fit the circumstances." He held his hand outwards so Los could see the symbol clearly. "This," he continued; "is the true symbol that I bear."_

_It may have been a trick of poor visibility but Los doubted that was the case as he watched the silver moon shift sideways, completely covering the golden sun. With a small pulse of energy, the moon turned the colour of darkest night._

"_What the hell? You a Luna Adept or something?" The pain in Los's chest was fading but he barely noticed it. Circumstances had become much more ambiguous, a situation that he didn't like. Slowly, but surely, he reached for the back of his belt, ready to use his weapon of last resort._

"_A Luna Adept?" Nalu chuckled again, completely lowering his guard. "I think you've been reading too many silly stories."_

"_Indeed?" asked Los, tightening his grip."_

"_Oh yes. Sol Adepts, Luna Adepts, people make up all kinds of things. Adepts are only in tune with the elements, which are the four and one. I-…"_

_Nalu may have gone on a ramble but Los interrupted him, a small 'crack' echoing throughout the night. Los stared at Nalu calmly, an object in his hand. Some kind of wooden grip led into a metal barrel, smoke coming out of the end. Silence reigned._

"_Ah, a repeater pistol is it?" asked Nalu, seemingly unharmed. Los's eyes grew wide;_

"_How the hell are you still standing? I frickin shot you!"_

"_Not exactly my friend. You'll be surprised what some forms of psyenergy can do."_

_Los went to shoot again but Nalu interrupted; "I wouldn't advise you to keep firing. You only have three more shots to spend and they're not going to have any more effect on me than the first."_

_Los kept his hands on the grip, many questions going through his head. What kind of psyenergy could his adversary have wielded that would allow him to take a bullet? He was no adept and therefore couldn't see psyenergy being employed but he knew many of the techniques that the four elements featured and none of them could account for this._

_Also, how was he able to identify his weapon? The secrets of gunpowder and therefore firearms had been lost after the end of the Golden Age. The Rouge Sages still had a few functioning muskets and pistols but most were barely functioning. He'd inherited his pistol from his deceased father and had been warned to only employ it as a weapon of last resort. Four shots using a percussion cap wasn't something that was to be trifled with._

_And how did he know his name, something that he'd refused to divulge to anyone over the past month? He'd never even seen the man before. And he'd said something about the elements-the four and one? What the hell did that mean? There were only four elements; earth, fire, wind and water. What was this "one?"_

"_You have many questions I see," said Nalu suddenly, walking over. Los tightened his grip. "Please, put it down. You don't want to shoot me."_

"_Oh really? And why's that?"_

_Nalu smiled, coming to a stop about five feet away; "Quite boisterous aren't you? Perhaps part of the djinn's baleful influence. Kite was quite aggressive after all."_

"_Kite?" What does she have to do with this?" The question was meant to sound threatening but it came out as more of a hollow croak-thinking of his now deceased friend brought Los painful memories._

_Nalu's visage narrowed; "More than you know. It's a blessing that she's dead now as-…"_

_Los shot forward, grabbing the top of Nalu's tunic; "Say that again," he hissed "and you'll never say anything again."_

_Nalu's grey eyes met Los's light blue ones; "You defend your deceased friend, quite admirable. However, it was misplaced."_

"_And how's that?" Los snarled._

_Nalu's gaze narrowed; "You placed your trust in a djinn. I would not recommend this in the future."_

"_Why?" Los loosened his grip slightly._

"_The djinn are not to be trusted. They claim to serve our interests but it is simply a lie. Djinn are our enemies and always have been."_

"_That's a lie!" shouted Los, tightening his grip again. "The djinn aided humanity twice in battle and once in the sealing of alchemy! How-…"_

"_All for their own purposes," said Nalu. "Do not mistake their intent."_

_Los loosened his grip, backing away. "Why should I believe anything you say?" he whispered._

"_It's your own choice. But considering that I've already uttered truths that you've kept hidden from others surely my words have bearing."_

_An uneasy silence followed. Los was unable to utter anything-there was no backing to what Nalu was saying but somehow Los, or at least part of him, believed the stranger. But if he fully believed his words…no, he couldn't cast his friend to the winds like that._

_Nalu sighed, showing something that bordered on compassion; "you're currently living under delusion. Your hatred to your foes is almost as misplaced as your friendship with the djinn."_

"_What?"_

_Nalu looked at him with pitying eyes; "Think about what happened in the north three months ago. That fateful night. Something concerning you."_

_Los didn't have to think very hard-"Someone…close to me was murdered in cold blood. The two murderers were Proxians known as Saturos and Menardi."_

"_You may as well say who he was."_

_Los sighed; "The man was my father, Hans. He'd learn that they were interested in unsealing alchemy. He was heading back to warn my order when they caught up with him, hacking him down. Apparently they tortured him and learnt of my existence, my name included. His travelling companion; Marcel, survived and made it back to our headquarters, bearing news of the events." _

_Nalu nodded; "And that is why you refuse to go by 'Pavel'. An inner fear that you'll be traced."_

_Los nodded; "In a sense." He clenched his fist; "But I'll use it again, telling them who I am when they're staring down my blade!"_

"_But to do that, you need the two adepts to leave them alive." Los nodded again._

_Nalu sighed and put a hand on Los's shoulder; "Tragic events did indeed unfold that night." There was a few seconds of silence; "But I think you ought to know what really happened."_

**XXXX**

Los reflected on what Nalu had said. It was unbelievable, it was far fetched, but…His train of thought drifted off the tracks. There was something about him that Los trusted. Almost like Kite in a way. They ended up fighting but ended up placing their trust.

Speaking of which…

Los walked over to Kite's grave. He still felt grief but it was more wary. Had Nalu uttered the truth about the djinn-fuzzy fur balls on the outside but manipulative demons on the inside? Had his trust really been misplaced?

Los didn't know the answer and didn't bother searching for it, fearful of the answer that he would reach. He wanted to remember Kite in a positive light. But if Nalu was right, then perhaps he was lying to himself.

Los fell back on the grass, a splitting headache having started, one that was not just due to a hangover. Last night felt like a dream but…He checked his pistol. One shot had indeed been fired. He reflected their parting words;

"_Why should I believe anything you say?"_

"_Because it's the truth. If you require further proof, seek the ones who you hate."_

"_What?"_

"_Travel north to Imil. It is there that the truth will be learnt."_

_Nalu started to walk off; "Wait!" yelled Los. "How do you know all this? Why provoke me into fighting you?"_

_Nalu paused but did not turn; "I cannot answer the first question. However, causing you to fight me was necessary."_

"_Why?"_

_There was some silence before continuing; "Your…luminosity is contained, a side effect of what courses through your veins. You are already familiar with this to an extent. It's the reason for your order's suppression of potential adepts."_

"_But why the fighting?"_

_Fighting requires adrenalin, stimulating the release of spirit. I know of only one other and he is set to leave Vale tomorrow, as am I."_

Nalu had walked off then, Los unable to move. The enormity of his claims had been weighing down on him. However, even now, his parting words echoed in his head;

"_Travel north to Imil. It is there that the truth will be learnt."_

Los rose to his feet. He didn't know what to believe. To take his mind off things, he walked over to the cliff face that Nalu had been standing in front of.

For some reason, his discovery didn't surprise him that much. A pistol ball, the one that he'd fired at Nalu was embedded. It had simply gone right through him. He prized it out and examined it-no blood.

Was Nalu perhaps a ghost, possessing no mass? Unlikely, he'd been holding a blade and he was able to grasp his tunic. He _had_ claimed that psyenergy was involved. Although no technique he knew of allowed objects to pass through an individual, he wasn't sure what to believe anymore. Especially…

Los snapped, starting to walk briskly down the stairs that led down to the banks of the river, past the destroyed house in which Felix and Jenna had lived, heading for the exit to Vale. To many unanswered questions were going through his head, but by following Nalu's words he could perhaps find an answer;

"_Travel north to Imil. It is there that the truth will be learnt."_

**A/N**

-I'm guessing that many WTFs are going to come my way, especially from the GS puratists (those who only want the actual Golden Sun story). Well, I did promise that they'd be leaving Vale, but not saying how far they'd go.

-I can see how this chapter is unorthodox considering that most of it is a flashback, especially since it only involves OCs. As you've hopefully realised some questions have been answered while others brought up (at least that's what I was aiming for).

-I'm guessing that quite a few of you had already worked out Los's real name and his relationship with Hans, given the hint provided in an earlier chapter. The hint of which adept Nalu is referring to is also in the same one.

-The pistol is probably stretching it a bit, but remember the cannon in Loho? If cannons were created then surely smaller firearms aren't too far fetched. Don't' worry, this isn't going to become a gun-fest or anything, but it isn't the last time that it's used. BTW, its design is based on French pistols of the early 19th century for way of visualisation.

-Yes, I could have included the meeting with Flint in the same chapter, but the meeting with the djinn, like the confrontation with Nalu, procures unanswered questions. I felt that it was best to separate the two bouts.

The next few chapters will probably focus almost exclusively on Isaac and co., at least until they leave Vault. No guarantees though, just trying to reassure those who think (with great validity) that I'm differing from the storyline too drastically.

-Yes, the references to Sol and Luna Adepts are basically cases of breaking the fourth wall (sort of). Don't know about the rest of you but I find that stories with Sol and Luna Adepts rarely work. No offence to those who feature them.

Ok, I think that's all. I await the WTFs and flames.


	17. Journey to Vault

**Golden Sun: The Broken Seal**

**Chapter 16: Journey to Vault**

"Hey Isaac?"

"Yeah?"

"Are we there yet?"

Isaac sighed and faced the dirt track that he and Garet were walking on, his irritation increasing due to Garet's constant questions and the fact that the afternoon sun was beating down on him. "So much for the blessings of Sol," Isaac thought bitterly, remembering the Wise One's words. "The only blessing I've received so far is sunburn."

"Well? Are we?" Garet wasn't letting up. Isaac suddenly stopped walking and turned to face his friend;

"No Garet we are NOT there yet. That's what I said three hours ago, that's what I said five minutes ago and that's what I'm saying RIGHT NOW. So five minutes from now, when you ask me if we're there yet, my answer is going to remain the same!"

An awkward silence decended on the two boys until Garet broke it; "Ok, point taken. But could you just tell me where 'there' is?"

"Um…" Isaac trailed off. Upon leaving Vale they'd headed south down an old dirt track that stretched across vast plains. It was the only logical route available, as mountains were to their east and west, with forests at their bases. Still…

"Face it Isaac, you don't have any idea where we're going do you," said Garet

"Course I do," maintained Isaac indignantly. "We're heading south."

"South to where though?"

"South to…to…"

"Admit it, we're lost," said Garet, his irritation matching the irritation that Isaac had felt moments ago."

"No we're simply taking a route which takes us to an unknown destination." Isaac said it with limited conviction, as it wasn't just the sun that was making him feel faint.

"It's much easier to just say lost you know."

Isaac sighed; "Fine, you're right. I have no idea where we're going." Garet opened his mouth to exploit Isaac's admission but the Venus Adept interrupted him; "However, I do know that the sun is directly overhead us, which means that it's time for lunch."

Garet's scowl instantly turned into a grin. He immediately flopped down onto the grass and opened his pack. The grin faded; "Hey, where did all the food go?"

"I have it, remember?" said Isaac, opening his own pack. He took out two sandwiches, both wrapped in folded parchment to keep them cool. He tossed one to Garet, who caught it easily but still looked miserable.

"Is this it?" he asked, the thought of a one sandwich lunch not too appealing for his appetite.

"Get used to it pal, we have to ration our supplies," answered Isaac, taking a bite of his own. "We have limited money and food, so we'll have to be careful."

Garet had already finished his food and was looking at Isaac's pack; "I don't suppose you want to share the load?" he asked wistfully.

"No," answered Isaac simply. He started rummaging through his pack. Garet's hopes that seconds were coming his way were instantly dashed as Isaac took out the map that Los had given them.

"What you getting the map out for?" asked Garet.

"To find out where we are and where we should be heading," answered Isaac.

"Basically you want to be able to say that we're not lost."

Isaac ignored him and folded it out between them. Garet looked down at it; "Wait, why is south facing upwards?"

"Because you're looking at it upside down dumbass."

"Oh." Garet came round the other side. Isaac took care to close his pack, pulling it closer.

"So where to?" asked Garet.

Isaac looked at the map; from what he could tell, there was nothing but plains, mountains and forests for miles. The nearest settlements were a town to their east called Lunpa that they could access by looping around the mountains or they could head south to Vault.

"We should probably head south to Vault," said Isaac, putting his finger down on the town.

"What, the 'town at the heart of Angara?" asked Garet. "Why should we head for a town of self-promotionalists?"

"Actually, they may have a point,' said Isaac, looking at the drawing of Angara. "It pretty much is located in the centre of the continent."

"Hmm, maybe," said Garet, not wanting to get too involved in geography. "But how do we know that Saturos and Menardi headed that way?"

"We don't," answered Isaac. "The way I see it they have two options."

"Really?"

"Yeah. They'll either head southward across the bridge leading over the river or travel north-east and head over the Goma Range. Still, I think that we should visit Vault no matter which route we take."

"Why's that?"

"If they're heading south they'd probably want to stop off at Vault for supplies. If they're heading north-east they'd probably do the same thing, as according to the map Lunpa is really out of way. Therefore, I…" Isaac trailed off. He noticed Garet closing his pack.

"Garet, what the hell are you doing?"

"What? What you on about?" Garet asked guiltily, revealing what was in his mouth as he spoke. Hardly the most pleasant sight in the world.

"Garet I…argh, never mind!" exclaimed Isaac, as he hoisted his backpack over his shoulders. "Aaron was right, he is a pig," he thought. "If anyone else joins our 'merry band' I certainly hope that they have-…"

What Isaac hoped would never be known as something suddenly shot over his head, its speed sending face first into the dirt. Garet ran over; "Isaac, you ok?"

"No, I'm not ok!" he shouted, rising to his feet. He saw what had sent him down-a small glowing object was flying away from them, small enough to fit in his fist; "Come back here you firefly!"

Surprisingly, the object actually stopped and turned, facing Isaac and Garet. "Despite its glow hiding its general shape, Isaac couldn't help but feel that it was studying them. "Oh, travelling warriors!" it exclaimed eventually.

Garet looked at Isaac; "Did…did that thing just talk?"

"Thing? I'm no thing!" the thing that was apparently not a thing exclaimed. It flew towards them, hovering a few feet in front of them. Its glow faded as it continued talking; "I am a Venus Djinn. My name is Flint."

The glow had faded sufficiently so that Isaac and Garet could see the creature with greater clarity. It bore no resemblance to anything that they'd ever seen before. Two oversized sky blue eyes were etched in its forehead, a nose and mouth seemingly absent. Two giant ears that looked like fins extended backwards, along with similar protrusions coming out from the two sides of its back. A tail with the end looking like that of a stingray extended from its rear. Two, stubby pointed feet extended from the underside of an oversized belly. Its general complexion was tanned, although its chest was lighter. To top it all off, it was miniscule, small enough to fit in the palm of one's hand.

Suffice to say, its appearance was whacked.

So taken aback were Isaac and Garet that they barely noticed the creature brimming with psyenergy; "Ah, I see that you're adepts also. Just the kind of people that I've been looking for."

"Er, really?" asked Garet weakly.

"Oh yes, I believe a partnership is in order." With that, Flint shot at Isaac. With surprising speed Isaac quickly drew his sword, causing Flint to recoil.

"Hey, what was that for?" he exclaimed.

"Pardon me, but I don't like oversized fireflies charging at me," said Isaac firmly.

"What? How dare you call me a firefly? I thought I'd made it clear that I'm a djinn!" There was silence as the two boys looked at him blankly. "What?" asked Flint. "Don't you know what a djinn is?"

"Er, no, fraid not," said Garet. "Never heard of you."

"Wait a minute, that's not exactly true," said Isaac. "The Wise One said something about djinn back in Sol Sanctum."

"Ah, so you met the Wise One did you?" asked Flint cheerfully. "Tell me, is he the same melodramatic lump of rock that he's always been?"

"Um, yeah," said Isaac, not exactly sure how to respond. "We saw shards of light escaping from statues. "He said that 'the djinn were returning."

"Yeah, bout time too," said Flint. "Being cropped up in a statue for three thousand years wasn't-…"

"Three-thousand years?" exclaimed Garet. "What was that like?"

"Um, it was cramped," said Flint.

"That's it-cramped?"

"What do you want from me, a poem?" exclaimed Flint angrily. "I, like the rest of my brethren were sealed in one of the four statues for three-thousand years. It was REALLY FRICKIN CRAMPED!"

"Point taken," said Isaac diplomatically, not wanting a fight to break out. "But if you did leave the statue with your brethren, where are they now?"

The djinn had little in the way of facial features, but Isaac could have sworn that something flashed over its face. What was that a sign of? Pain? Regret? Haunted memory? Eventually Flint answered;

"We…we were separated in the eruption," said Flint softly.

"Really? How so?" asked Garet.

"I…I don't' want to talk about it." Flint's voice was starting to waver.

"Come on, you can tell us," said Garet. The fact that Flint seemed to be trembling, perhaps on the verge of tears, clearly indicated that he couldn't.

"Garet, lay off him," said Isaac firmly, sheathing his sword. He walked closer to the creature; "I understand. I know what it's like to have unpleasant memories. It's often hard to express them immediately." As he spoke memories of the storm three years ago and witnessing Jenna and Kraden kidnapped in Sol Sanctum flashed through his mind. His words came from experience.

Flint seemed to have regained his composure; "Anyway, no use worrying about it. We have a quest to fulfil after all."

"Huh? What do you mean by 'we'?" asked Garet. "You coming with us or something?"

"Of course!" exclaimed Flint. "Why wouldn't I? The djinn have aided humanity many times in the past and-…"

"Really? How many times?" asked Garet.

Flint gave them what appeared to be a sheepish look; "Um, three. But-…"

"What happened in those three times?" asked Garet.

Flint glared at him; "It doesn't matter right now. All that matters is-…"

"Come on, tell us!" exclaimed Garet.

Flint slowly turned to face Garet, fire dancing in his eyes. There was silence for a few seconds before Flint suddenly shot forward, hitting him right in the centre of his forehead. Garet fell backwards, clutching it;

"Argh! What the hell was that for?" Despite seeing his friend in pain, Isaac couldn't help chuckling.

"I thing you know," said Flint icily. He turned to face Isaac; "Anyway, we never actually received orders from the Wise One but I assume that he wanted us to aid you in your quest."

"What? How'd you know about that?" asked Isaac.

"You're adepts who've left Vale bearing swords," pointed out Flint. "You look like heroes." He glanced at Garet who was slowly rising to his feet; "Well, sort of."

"Prick," Garet murmured.

"Well, we are on a quest," said Isaac. "Have to prevent the release of alchemy, bring thieves to justice, rescue the damsel in distress." Flint seemingly grinned at the last alorgy. "You get the idea."

Flint nodded; "Pretty much. Am I correct in guessing that you're a Venus Adept?"

"He is," said Garet. "I'm a Mars Adept by-…"

"Great, then I can enter a partnership with you," said Flint, ignoring Garet.

"Partnership? What do you mean by that?" asked Isaac.

"I'm a Venus Djinn and you're a Venus Adept. By bonding with your spirit I can amplify your psyenergy and allow you to harness other techniques."

"Sounds cool," said Isaac, some excitement showing. "How do you do that?"

Flint looked uneasy; "Er, I'll show you later. I…actually haven't bonded with a person before and it's supposedly an unsettling experience. I'll wait for actual combat."

"Fair enough," shrugged Isaac. "I guess you can come with us."

"Wait, you're actually going to trust this furball?" exclaimed Garet.

"Yeah, what's wrong with that?" asked Isaac as Flint perched on his shoulder.

"He…he frickin hit me between the eyes!" Garet shouted.

"Yeah, that was sweet!" chuckled Flint.

"Garet, we don't have any reason not to trust him," said Isaac. "And besides, the Wise One did mention the djinn returning. He hardly made it sound like a bad thing."

"Fine," murmured Garet sullenly. "You can keep your pet. I'm going to-…"

Garet couldn't' even finish his sentence as Flint barged into him with surprising force, sending him flying back five feet "Argh, what the hell was that for?" shouted the Mars Adept.

"Yeah, that's definitely a valid question," said Isaac, eyeing Flint warily.

Flint turned to face Isaac; "Rule number one," he growled. "Never, EVER call a djinn a pet. We're partners-nothing more, nothing less."

"Great," murmured Garet bitterly as he rose to his feet for the second time. "Glad to see that this partnership started off on the right foot."

**XXXX**

Bitter irony was currently giving Jenna a slap in the face as she waited outside Vault's smithery, sitting down on the grass next to Kraden, Felix, Saturos and Alex keeping a close eye on them. Menardi had gone into the smithery to buy Sol knew what.

If she'd been in Vault under normal circumstances, she would have been able to appreciate the fact that a childhood dream had come true-leaving Vale, exploring the world, seeing new people and places. Isaac and Garet would have been here too, Isaac no doubt missing Vale and Garet constantly calling him a "city boy" or "homesick puppy." Provided that the storm three years ago had never occurred, Felix would have been here too, or at least the Felix that she remembered.

Irony was giving her a hard time as in a sense part of that dream had come true but in the worst sense possible. Isaac and Garet weren't here and given the scale of Mt. Aleph's eruption, they probably never would be. There was a slight chance that they may have escaped but Jenna knew that such optimism was completely unfounded. In all likelihood, her friends had perished, a fact that had procured no small amount of tears.

The pain was still with her, partly because she hadn't been able to fully release it. Saturos and Menardi hadn't allowed any time for rest, marching Kraden and herself southwards as if they were cattle, albeit cattle that fought back. At least that was true in Jenna's case. In the initial stages she'd made numerous attempts to escape, each of which ended the same way-failure, with scars to boot. Her spirit crushed, the concept of escape had been completely lost by the time they reached Vault. Her spiritual exhaustion was only matched by that of the physical kind. It was therefore surprising how welcoming the inn's beds were.

They were also useful for crying into.

Kraden made the ordeal somewhat more bearable in that he was someone that Jenna could trust, although she couldn't help but feel some resentment towards his lack of resistance. Yes, he was an old man but still in surprising good shape. Even Saturos and Menardi were surprised at how he was able to keep up with them with relative ease. Although that meant less yelling and threats, it also meant that they weren't going to be slowed down.

But what was the point of hoping that they'd be slowed down? The chances of Vale sending anyone after them were remote and from what she could tell, Saturos and Menardi were exceptionally powerful individuals in both physical combat and psyenergy. She doubted that anyone in Vale had a snowball's chance in hell of defeating them.

To top it all off, Felix was with them. It was almost strange how Jenna considered that a bad thing but she barely paid attention to that ironic fact. Indeed, her hatred towards her brother was even greater than that directed towards Saturos and Menardi. Sure, those two may have been immoral bastards but at least they had a kind of 'purity of purpose', in that their goals had always remained the same (releasing alchemy for personal power as far as she could tell). Felix though…

Jenna actually lifted her head and glared at her brother, his back turned to her. In the initial stages he'd made attempts at conversation but Jenna had ignored him every time. Responding to Felix, that would have been an acknowledgement of his existence, of the fact that her brother was still alive. Or technically, someone who used to be his brother. Jenna no longer considered him family.

Felix was no better than Saturos or Menardi. He'd left Isaac and Garet to die. He'd turned his back on Vale and everything it stood for. He'd sided with the murderers of his parents. He'd made suggestions that Jenna and Kraden be returned to Vale but didn't have the courage to actually defy his superiors, exposing him as the coward he was. He was a two faced traitor who was worthy of neither friendship nor respect.

As a minor note there was Alex to consider. It was strange how Jenna felt no hatred towards the man. Perhaps it was due to the fact that, in a way, there was nothing to hate. He was completely empty of emotion. He rarely spoke, always had a distant look on his face, particularly when he glanced towards Mt. Aleph wistfully. He made no comment when Saturos and Menardi punished her for one of her many escape attempts and acted like nothing had happened.

On the other hand, he never aided Saturos and Menardi in their beratement. On the rare occasion that he did speak, he was polite enough not to call Jenna a brat or Kraden an old geyser. Jenna guessed that his motives might have been the same as Saturos and Menardi's but there was no way of telling. He made no comment on his reasons for aiding them. Heck, he made no comment on _anything_.

"Hey Jenna, you ok?" Jenna turned to face Kraden, who'd asked her.

"Fine," she replied stiffly, making it clear that she wasn't in the mood for conversation. Kraden failed to take the hint;

"You know, you could make things easier on us," he whispered.

"Really? How's that?" she asked tersely.

"Try talking with your brother. If you were more sociable then perhaps he'd be more inclined to help us."

"Don't get your hopes up Kraden," said Jenna, turning back to glare at Felix. "There's no point in asking for help from a two-faced coward." To her satisfaction, she saw Felix tense for a second. Satisfaction coursed through her.

"Alright, I'm done," came an unfortunately familiar voice. All eyes turned to see Menardi walking out of the smithery, a pair of handcuffs in her hand.

"What's with the handcuffs?" asked Saturos.

"What do you think?" asked Menardi as she pulled Jenna to her feet. She started slitting them over Jenna's wrists

"What is this, a new fashion statement?" asked Jenna sarcastically.

"Don't be foolish you little brat!" hissed Menardi. "It's simply something to prevent you from wasting our time with one of your pointless escape attempts."

"Yeah, I _really_ can't run off with my hands tied behind my back," said Jenna snidely. "I guess I'll have to go back to kicking you."

Jenna smirked as Menardi rubbed her shin where Jenna had kicked her during one of her early escape attempts. "Saturos, is this really necessary?" Menardi asked.

"Yes. We need the girl and old man as bargaining tools," said Saturos.

"For what? The two boys are almost certainly dead."

"You don't' have to rub it in," murmured Felix, his back still turned to them. Jenna glared at him-he had no right to express such false sympathy.

"Whatever. We're leaving with our captives and that's final." Saturos pulled Kraden to his feet and shoved him forward. Sighing, Kraden started walking. Felix and Alex followed suit silently. Jenna started to follow also but Menardi stepped in front of her.

"Well this is a surprise," sneered Jenna. "You're actually trying to stop me from following the group. Ready to let me go back home?"

Menardi was silent for a few seconds until she answered, surprisingly calm; "Listen closely. If it were up to me, you never would have been taken from Vale."

"Then why don't you let me go back?" asked Jenna, perplexed at Menardi's change of demour.

"No, you misunderstand me," said Menardi, her calm nature somehow more unsettling than one of her usual rages "If it were up to me, you wouldn't have been taken from Vale as you would have died back at Mt. Aleph."

"Oh," said Jenna, slightly relieved at Menardi's return to her immoral self yet simultaneously disturbed at how immoral that self actually was. "I should have known better than to think some virtues would shine through."

Menardi's fake smile twisted to that of a grimace; "Let me set a general rule for you. You don't get in my way and my scythe's thirst for your blood isn't satiated. Do I make myself clear?"

"Oh yes, perfectly clear," said Jenna calmly. "Thanks for making it clear that your scythe is really a vampire."

The look on Menardi's face was priceless, more than making up for the black eye that Jenna received.

**XXXX**

It was a strange feeling how at this point in time Isaac was simultaneously grateful for Garet's presence yet somehow resented it. Grateful in the sense that he'd been able to use his fire psyenergy to start a small fire, providing the only source of warmth under the star-filled sky. However, since Isaac and volunteered to take watch, it meant that he had to put up with Garet's constant snoring, somehow made worse by the empty space, although that seemed to violate the laws of sound…or physics, whatever the hell that was. Luckily Kraden had refrained from going on a lecture about _that subject_.

Perhaps his friend was simply tired. While walking over the plains they'd been attacked quite a few times by vermin and/or bats, seemingly intent on avenging those that had died at Sol Sanctum. While harrowing at first, the task of fighting them off had quickly become repetitive, simple psyenergy and swordsplay ensuring victory.

Isaac supposed that that was a good sign, that their skills were improving and their foes were becoming less of a challenge. However, the less challenging their foes were, the more often they would end up dealing death, something they'd already done many times today. The thought of such a continuation sickened him.

Sighing, he started reading the letter his mother had given him for the fifth time, one of the few things that brought him comfort. Looking up at unmoving stars had become boring, he'd used his sword too much today to find any appeal in practicing with it, thinking of Jenna and Kraden was too depressing with the ultimate fate of his foes not something he wanted to think about for similar reasons and he saw little need to refine his psyenergy. Quake sent vermin sprawling and in the rare occasion that he or Garet had been injured, heal always managed to patch them up. Also, the catch beads had proven useful. Reading his mother's words was one of the few things that gave him comfort.

Having nothing better to do, Isaac began reading it a sixth time. However, he'd barely started when he heard a voice from behind; "That's quite moving. Is it from your mum or something?"

Isaac immediately spun around, sending Flint flying off his shoulder, spared a rough landing only by his hovering abilities. "Oh. It's only you," said Isaac slowly, his hand moving down away from the hilt of his sword. The last time he'd seen Flint was when the creature had been sleeping on the grass. Perhaps djinn could be kept awake by snores also.

"What do you mean 'only' me?" exclaimed Flint.

Isaac shrugged, sliding the parchment into one of his pockets. "So who's that from?" asked Flint.

"It doesn't matter."

"Come on, tell me!" whined Flint, somehow conveying a puppy dog expression.

Isaac smiled; "I thought that we were all entitled to our own secrets. After all, you still haven't told us exactly what happened in the eruption. Why don't you…" Isaac trailed off, noticing Flint's pained look.

"Sorry," Isaac murmured, kneeling down so that their faces were on the same level.

"Don't worry about it," said Flint softly, making it clear that regardless of whether Isaac worried about it or not, Flint was certainly going to.

"Do you…do you think we'll find any more of your brethren?" asked Isaac, not sure on how to play this. The comfort that he'd given over the years had mainly been mutual, considering that his mother and Jenna had gone through the same things that he had. He'd rarely been in a position where condolence was a one way street.

"Hopefully," said Flint, still sounding remorse. "After all, the more djinn that hook up with us the more likely that we'll be able to succeed.

"Yeah, how does that work exactly?" asked Isaac, deciding that it would be in Flint's best interests to stay clear from the subject of the eruption. "You said that you could bond with me or something."

Flint looked uneasy; "Well yeah. But weren't we going to wait for actual combat?"

"Flint, we've already been in combat," said Isaac. "While your aerial fights with the bats were ok and your quakes impressive, we may as well get used to the process, just in case we can't when we really need it."

Flint's look of unease increased but was soon replaced by a look of stoicism; "Alright, let's try it. Be careful though, it's my first time remember." Isaac nodded in response, closing his eyes to hide the unease shown in them.

Flint started flying around in a circle, gradually bearing more resemblance to a yellow orb, trailing smaller ones behind him. Suddenly he shot down into the earth at Isaac's feet. Almost instantaneously numerous yellow lights shot upwards, all heading into Isaac. After that, silence. Isaac opened his eyes. Normal apart from the fact they turned yellow for a second.

"Well? How do you feel?" asked Flint.

"Huh?" Isaac looked around but the only other individual in the area was his snoring companion. "Flint, where are you?"

"Inside you of course!" exclaimed Flint as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I've bonded with your spirit. Can't you feel it?"

"Um…" Isaac considered the question. Although the difference was minute, Isaac could feel an increase in his psyenergetic power, along with a slightly heightened sense of awareness. The grass he was standing on, it seemed more…alive.

"Yeah, I can feel it," answered Isaac silently, speaking to Flint through his thoughts. "How bout you?"

"Aw I'm great!" exclaimed Flint. "It's kinda nice in here, you know, an…'icky' feeling. Almost…" Flint trailed off, something having caught his attention. Isaac didn't press him as he'd sensed something too; something moving towards them.

"You sense it too don't you?" asked Flint.

"Yeah…" said Isaac slowly, drawing out his sword with the same amount of speed. He stepped forward a few paces, his eyes scanning the darkness. "Show yourself," he whispered.

Whatever Isaac had sensed obliged, a silhouette stumbling out of the darkness that surrounded them. It was clearly humanoid and would have probably stood taller than Isaac if it hadn't been hunched.

"You ok?" asked Isaac, gingerly stepping towards it. He could see that the figure was indeed human but made no acknowledgement of Isaac's question.

"Isaac, something's wrong," whispered Flint.

Isaac didn't respond, his attention solely focussed on the newcomer. He was a few feet away yet Isaac was still unable to make out any facial features, apart from the fact that it definitely appeared to be male. Suddenly he stumbled forward, about to fall down. Isaac caught him in mid-fall.

"It's ok pal, I got you," he said as the man's head slowly rose. In the next few seconds Isaac wished that that wasn't the case, as the newcomer lunged forward at him, sending Isaac sprawling onto the grass, dropping his sword as he landed.

"Argh! What the hell?" Isaac exclaimed as the individual tried to close his jaws around his neck. Isaac quickly realised that such an answer would never come, able to see the individual clearly-sunked in eyes that were as hollow as a void, brown rotting flesh, sharp teeth for ripping flesh. One word echoed in Isaac's mind;

Zombie.

"Hey Garet! Garet get over here!" Isaac yelled, using both his hands to keep the zombie's jaws away from his neck. He'd always thought that monsters, the undead included, were confined to fiction. Still, with events in recent times, Isaac wasn't that surprised. He also wasn't that surprised to find that Garet was still snoring away.

"Any ideas Flint?" he yelled mentally, trying to block out the sounds of the zombie's growls.

"What about your sword? Ram it up his arse!" yelled Flint, clearly panicked.

Isaac glanced at where his sword lay, within reaching distance. Still, that would mean sacrificing an arm to retrieve it. Given the amount of effort that he was exerting to hold his foe back, such an action might result in the sacrifice of his neck also.

"No good. Didn't you say something about giving me other abilities?"

"Well, yeah. But don't ask me what they are."

"What, you know that you give me new abilities but don't know what they are?" Isaac yelled, fully audible this time. "What help is that? How am I supposed to use them then?" The zombie's growls didn't give any answers.

"I don't know! Search your spirit, peer into your-…"

"Alright Flint, you can cut the melodrama!" yelled Isaac, obliging all the same. It wasn't exactly easy to look for something that you didn't know how to identify while a ravenous undead monster trying to tear your neck out but Isaac searched all the same. Surprisingly, he found the answer relatively quickly. He knew what he could do, it was just pulling it off that was the problem. Isaac took a deep breath;

Lifting his leg he managed to kick the zombie back slightly. Using the time he had, he put his two fists together, both glowing with yellow light. He brought them upwards into the zombie's chest, sending it sprawling back. It lay there apparently dead…again.

"Nice," admitted Flint. Isaac was too drained to respond, mentally or otherwise. The technique was effective but draining. The only reason that he was able to get to his feet was due to someone pulling him up, a certain someone that had been sleeping a few minutes ago.

"Hey Isaac, you ok?" Garet asked, having been woken by the sound of the impact that Isaac had carried out.

"Well well, sleeping beauty awakes at last," said Isaac sarcastically, picking up his sword. "You don't hear my cries for help yet you hear the sound of me striking my foe." Funny 'ol world isn't it?"

"Huh, what you on about?" asked Garet, clearly perplexed. "What happened?"

"Oh nothing, just…" Isaac stopped. It was hard to see in the darkness but his eyes and face conveyed a single emotion-fear.

"Isaac? Isaac, what is it?" asked Garet, aware that something was wrong. Isaac swallowed and rose an arm, pointing to something behind his friend. Garet turned and saw what Isaac did-numerous stumbling figures, somewhere around fifty.

"Hey, what are you guys doing?" asked Garet, drawing his sword.

"Garet, get back!" yelled Isaac. "They can't hear you."

"Huh?" asked Garet, turning to face his friend. What do you…" He trailed off.

Isaac looked behind him and uttered a curse underneath his breath-more figures stumbling towards them from all directions. Dawn was starting to break so they could see what them for what they were-stumbling pieces of rotting flesh.

"Shit," whispered Garet, seeing their plight.

"Excellent summary," murmured Isaac. He turned to face Garet; "Stay close, cover my backside."

"You got a plan?"

Isaac smiled; "Pretty much. We hold our ground and send the bastards back to hell." He turned around and was greeted by one of the creatures lunging at him. Isaac grabbed its neck with one hand and snapped it with the other, 'killing' it instantly. He turned back to face Garet;

"Just like that one."

**XXXX**

Garet held his ground against the advancing wave of rotting flesh, sending a steady stream of fireballs against them. From what he could tell, they were doing little good. The creatures were immune to pain and the fireballs did little but slow them down.

Isaac suddenly appeared beside him, having jumped back from one of the creatures that had lunged at him. The creature toppled to the ground. It didn't get back up as Isaac drove his sword into its neck, twisting the blade with a sickening crack.

Garet turned to deliver a snazzy compliment but failed to do so, instead seeing another zombie heading for Isaac. Channelling his psyenergy, he launched a large fireball. It hurtled the creature backwards, its rotten flesh burning.

"Thanks," Isaac murmured as he cast quake on an advancing group of undead, sending them sprawling. As Garet cast flare on their bodies Isaac rushed at another creature. He rammed his sword up its gut while kicking another that had been approaching him from his die. Withdrawing his blade he brought it across in an arc, slashing another creature across the chest, slowing its advance. It gave Isaac the time he needed to send his sword through the creature's head. The one that had attacked him from the side lunged again but Isaac sidestepped, bringing his sword around in an arc against the back of its neck.

"Isaac, this isn't working," said Flint as Isaac sent another group of undead sprawling.

"What do you mean? We're holding our own."

"Hah! Why don't you use your eyes?"

Having acquired some breathing space, Isaac looked around. In the initial stages he'd counted around fifty zombies bearing down on them, having the two adepts completely surrounded. Felix had once told him (through one of his many books of course) that in folklore the undead were created through necromancy and that the only way to fully kill them was to ensure the complete destruction of the head or at least the brain.

He'd made it sound so difficult, but in reality things were much more simple as the creatures appeared to have the same anatomical concerns as a normal human, albeit they were much more resilient. Still, with a combination of psyenergy and swordsplay they'd managed to take the fifty down to around half that number.

Isaac glanced at Garet, who was holding his own against a group of ten undead, swinging his sword around with a look of grim determination on his face. One creature surged forward and was rewarded with decapitation. Another lunged at him. Garet sidestepped and brought his sword down against its neck.

"I think we're doing fine," Isaac replied mentally, bringing his fists down against one of the creatures, using the technique that he'd dubbed 'venus', considering that it seemed to be composed of purely earthen psyenergy.

"Really? Why don't you look to your right?"

Isaac obliged and elicted a groan that was one more of despair than frustration. Another twenty-five figures were staggering towards them, all moving with the same sense of purpose and motivation-the flesh of the living.

"What the hell?" he moaned. "Since when did necromancy become commonplace?"

"Actually, I don't think necromancy's involved," said Flint, sounding surprisingly calm given the situation."

"What? The dead are _walking _Flint!"

"True," said Flint. "But…I don't know, there's something about them that seems… familiar."

An uneasy silence decended upon them before Isaac spoke; "I'm going to pretend that you didn't say that."

"No no, I don't mean it like that!" exclaimed Flint, not wanting Isaac to get disturbing impressions about him. "I was referring to the energy being radiated from them. Can't you feel it?"

Isaac tried to sense whatever Flint was but the process was disrupted as a fireball suddenly zoomed past his face. He turned in shock to its source, namely Garet walking towards him.

"Garet, what the hell are you doing?" exclaimed Isaac. Garet answered by sending an even larger fireball, which only just missed Isaac and hit something behind him. Isaac turned to see a rotting, burning corpse sailing through the air.

"You ok pal?" asked the Mars Adept, a grin on his face.

"Yeah, thanks," said Isaac slowly, wondering what had happened to the zombies that Garet had been fighting. He saw his answer-a pile of numerous smoking corpses, many of them missing limbs.

"Pretty kickass huh?" asked Garet, still pleased with himself.

"Yeah, I guess," said Isaac. "But we've still got a problem." He gestured to the advancing horde, situated about fifty metres away from them. Garet swore under his breath, raising his sword.

"Oh well. Guess those guys are hankering for steel and flame," said the Mars Adept.

"You sure about that?" asked a voice, one that Isaac recognised as Flint's. Garet was woefully ignorant, looking around for the source.

"Huh? Who said that?" he exclaimed.

"Your friendly neighbourhood djinn of course," came the voice as Flint appeared in a small flash, having separated himself from Isaac. Isaac suddenly felt much wearier, leaning on his sword for support.

"Flint? Where'd you come from?" exclaimed Garet, clearly in shock. "I thought the zombies had got to you!"

"Yeah, that would be terrible for you wouldn't it," said Flint sarcastically. He hovered in front of the two boys, the zombies about forty metres away from them.

"Whatever you've got to say, make it quick," growled Garet.

"Ok then," said Flint. "I'd just like to point out that engaging those creatures head on at this point is tantamount to suicide."

"Really? And why do you think-…"

"Garet, calm down," said Isaac in between breaths. "He's got a point. Think about it."

Garet obliged, realising that Flint did indeed have a point. Every muscle in his body ached, all of them screaming for him to collapse onto the ground. Perspiration trickled down his skin and had drenched his clothes. All the psyenergy he'd been casting had given him a splitting headache. Looking over at Isaac who was leaning forward on his sword, he was clearly in a worse state, not possessing Garet's stamina.

"Alright, so what do we do then?" asked Garet.

Flint shrugged; "Hell if I know."

"What? You tell us not to engage them conventionally yet you can't tell us how we should go about it?"

"Sorry guys," said Flint. "Good luck." With a small flash of light, he disappeared, bonding with Isaac's spirit. Clearly the 'light shard thing' was a one off.

"Isaac, what just happened?" asked Garet slowly, not liking Flint's vanishing act.

"Long story," answered Isaac, having regained some of his stamina with Flint's presence. He glanced at the advancing horde, about thirty metres away. Running away wouldn't' work, they'd probably collapse from exhaustion. Engaging them in combat would probably have the same outcome.

"So, any ideas?" asked Garet slowly, grasping his sword tightly.

"Yeah…" said Isaac slowly. Truth be told, an idea had begun to form in his mind, albeit an extremely risky one. But given the horde that was surging towards them, all bunched up, it did seem like the wisest course of action.

"Garet, how's your psyenergy?"

"What, how would I know?" Garet asked. "It's not as if I'm able to measure it in power points or anything."

Isaac smiled faintly at Garet's reference to some board game they used to play; "Ok, we'll have to assume that you have enough?"

"Enough for what?" Garet was getting worried due to the proximity of the horde.

"We both have to channel our psyenergy for a single attack. I'll cast a quake to send them all sprawling. After that, you unleash the biggest wall of flame that you can."

"You sure we have enough psyenergy left for something like that?" asked Garet.

Isaac sighed and faced the horde; "Don't make me answer that question."

The horde was about twenty metres away when Isaac and Garet raised an arm each, channelling their psyenergy. To a normal individual it might have seemed ludicrous, two boys stretching their arms out, seemingly hoping that the undead would stop in their tracks. Someone attuned to psyenergy however, would have been impressed-the very air itself seemed to be alive with energy.

The zombies were now ten metres away. Garet glanced over at his friend; "Um, Isaac?"

"Just wait," said Isaac through gritted teeth, perspiration trickling down his forehead, his usual messy hair much more lank. He gauged their length in metres-nine…eight…seven…six…five-

"Now!" Isaac unleashed the largest quake he'd ever conjured, the very earth itself groaning as the psyenergy tore through it. The undead were hurled to the ground, moaning away as their prey stayed their advance.

It wasn't the only wave of psyenergy that came at them. A wall of flame rushed over the ground, the fire setting them all alight. If they'd been walking it might have not done as much damage, but they were struggling to rise and the flame was burning away the muscles they needed for such movement. Not one managed to get back up, the land healed of their blight.

Garet watched the pile of burning corpses with almost morbid fascination; "Wow…we did it…we actually did it!" He turned to face Isaac but saw that his friend had collapsed on the ground from exhaustion.

"Lazy bum," thought Garet as he joined him in unconsciousness.

**A/N**

_One thing I've noticed in Golden Sun novelisation is that of those that get as far as this point (or beyond) there's always a scene involving Jenna and co. in Vault. From what I can tell, these scenes serve the same purpose-solidifying Jenna's resentment towards Felix and giving Ivan an early introduction._

_It almost always occurs the same way-one of them (usually Felix) meets Ivan, after hearing Saturos and Menardi express how they need the Rod of Hesperia and a Wind Adept. They see Ivan with the rod but do nothing._

_WTF? They just HOPE that the rod presents itself again and they just HOPE that they'll find another Wind Adept? That makes no sense! Ahem, sorry. Anyway, while I decided to follow suit in one regard (Jenna's feelings) I didn't want to follow suit with early introductions. Sorry to all the Ivan fans out there. He'll be in the next chapter, I promise!_

_As for the rod and wind adept thing, I'm slightly changing the storyline to make Saturos and Menardi seem more sane/less insane. It's nothing major and only features in the dialogue but it's a change none the less (yeah, another one)._

_The whole zombie thing is indeed taken from the one that features in the djinn tutorial that Flint gives the player. Partly because one zombie wouldn't be very exciting and we haven't had any real action since Sol Sanctum (Los getting his arse kicked by Nalu doesn't really count in my mind)._

_And yes, as you can probably tell, I'm changing the Djinn system. No recharge, no summons, just amplification really, as featuring the system from the game along with the summons would only slow things down. Of course, that doesn't' mean the summons are totally absent from the storyline (hint hint)._

_What Dora wrote to Isaac is a secret for now, just in case you were wondering. It's hardly a plot twist but it does become important in the future._

_Ok, I think that's all. I'll be back at school soon with exams to boot, so don't expect the next chapter to arrieve in the near future (insert groans from fans of the blonde midget)._

_Until next time._


	18. Heart of Angara

**Golden Sun: The Broken Seal**

**Chapter 17: Heart of Angara**

Four facts struck Isaac as he opened his eyes-he was lying where he had collapsed from exhaustion last night, the sun's position in the sky suggested that it was now mid-morning, his head hurt like hell and Flint was hovering just above him, a smirk seemingly showing on what limited features he had.

"Well well, sleeping beauty finally awakens," said the djinn sarcastically as Isaac slowly rose to a sitting position.

"Shut up Flint, go get your own call," groaned Isaac, rubbing his forehead. He looked around, seeing the bodies of the zombies that had attacked them. "So it wasn't a dream," thought Isaac sombrely. He continued rubbing his forehead-with the headache he was currently experiencing he was beginning to wish that it had been.

"Where's Garet?" asked Isaac

"Right here," came a familiar voice. Isaac turned to its source, seeing Garet frying some bacon, its aroma wafting over him. "Want some?" he asked.

"Sure." Isaac slowly walked over, hand against his forehead to try and ease his headache along with shielding his eyes from the sun, situated higher in the sky than Isaac would have liked.

"Ugh, how long have I been out?" Isaac asked as he took a piece.

"I dunno, at least longer than I was," said Garet, taking significantly more bacon than Isaac did. "I'd say at least two hours."

"_Pardon_?" Flint asked indignantly.

Garet sighed; "Fine, make that one hour." He glared at Flint; "You can always trust the word of the furball after all."

Isaac smiled faintly, not having taken a bite of his breakfast. Flint came over; "You going to eat that?"

"Nah, you can have it," said Isaac, tossing it over. "You're probably pretty hungry anyway."

"No, not really, we djinn only need psyenergy to survive" said Flint as he caught the bacon in mid-air in his mouth and gulped it down. "I only assumed that it tasted good." He finished swallowing, seemingly grinning; "Wow!" he exclaimed, looking at the remaining bacon. "Where have you been all my life!?"

Not wanting hyper djinn, Garet bolted his food down fast, glaring at Flint for what he perceived as wasting food. Isaac glanced up at the sun-judging by its position in the sky, it would probably be noon in about three hours. Saturos and Menardi were already significantly ahead of them and Isaac doubted that even if a horde of monsters this size had attacked them, they wouldn't have been significantly slowed, given their superior psyenergy and martial prowess.

"Come on Garet we've got to get a move on," he said, noticing that his friend seemed to be eying the Venus Adept's pack.

"Come on, what's the rush?" Garet asked. "It's still morning."

"Garet, I highly doubt that Saturos and Menardi are going to have sleep-ins."

"So, they can't be too far ahead of us."

"Maybe not," shrugged Isaac. A smile started to form; "But imagine how Jenna would feel if she knew that you'd rather sleep in rather than rush to her rescue?"

Garet quickly shot up, packing away the utensils with surprising speed. "Alright, I'm ready," he said, standing up.

"Wait, what about the zombies?" asked Flint. "We can't just leave them here."

Isaac inwardly groaned as he looked around, seeing the decaying corpses, suddenly becoming aware of their smell; "Yeah, Flint's right, we can't just leave them out to rot."

"Alright, but let's make this quick," said Garet, glancing uneasily at the bodies. "I just had breakfast you know."

The two boys set to work, glad that the gloves they wore for combat prevented them from touching the decaying flesh. Flint hovered by Isaac as he dragged two corpses across the grass towards the pile that they were making. "Come on, put your back into it," said Flint, watching Isaac perspire as he pulled them along.

"Shut up Flint, I don't see you helping."

"What could I do? I don't have any arms!" the djinn protested.

"Um…good point."

Flint shrugged; "Don't' worry though, I'm helping you in spirit."

Isaac grunted as he threw the bodies onto the pile; "I think the correct term to use is _trying_ to help us through spirit. And so far, you're failing."

"Wow, that cut deep," said Flint sarcastically.

Isaac smiled faintly-kind of surprising as the stench from the zombies' remains was getting worse by the minute. However, his mind was, as usual, hard at work. Where had such creatures come from? Although Isaac knew precious little of the world outside Vale, he seriously doubted that such events were commonplace. Had it something to do with the eruption? Perhaps, but he couldn't think of any logical connection between a lava spewing mountain and the walking dead.

Still, hadn't Flint said something about them being familiar, something about some kind of energy that was radiating from them? Isaac wasn't about to jump to the conclusion that Flint hung out with the undead (or perhaps even go beyond…eww) but he still wanted to know what he meant.

"Hey Flint?"

"Yeah?"

"You said last night when we were battling the zombies that there was something familiar about them, something about some kind of energy being radiated." Isaac dumped the corpses he was dragging and went for another pair. "What did you mean by that?"

"What, couldn't you feel anything?" asked Flint, clearly puzzled.

"Fraid not. All I felt was…" Isaac trailed off.

"Was…what?" asked Flint.

"Nothing," whispered Isaac. "Forget it."

"No, what did you feel?" asked Flint, pressing the question.

"Flint, don't worry, it's not worth dwelling over." Within the span of a few seconds Isaac had gone from curious to distant and Flint had no idea why. Had he realised something, remembered something? There was no way of telling.

It didn't take long for the two adepts to finish piling the corpses. It was about six feet in height and about eight in length, already attracting buzzards. Isaac turned to Garet; "I think we should say a few words."

"What, like an eulogy?"

"Yeah. That's it." Isaac was talking softly, almost distantly.

"Ok, I'll give them one," said Garet, raising his hand. "Burn in hell."

With the stirring eulogy delivered, flames suddenly erupted amongst the bodies, courtesy of Garet's fire psyenergy. The decaying flesh quickly caught alight, incinerating the rotting corpses and producing-

"Son of a- What is that _stench_!?" exclaimed Garet, waving the smoke away with one hand and holding his nose with the other.

"It's the smell of death," said Isaac softly, bowing his head, seemingly in respect. "We'll probably end up getting used to it."

The smell wasn't bothering him. Something far worse was.

**XXXX**

It turned out that Isaac and Garet were closer to Vault than they'd anticipated, given that the town was in sight round about noon. From what they could see, the town had been formed out of a natural basin, short cliff walls completely encasing the town apart from a north and southern entrance, both of them flanked by a watch tower on either side. Despite the rock walls they could make out various dwellings, all of which must have been at least three stories tall if not more. Surrounding it were many small hamlets, each of which featured a small tract of land for growing foodstuffs. And to think that by Angaran standards this was a relatively small town! Garet wanted to rescue Jenna and Kraden of course, but if he could see even bigger towns than this on the way he wasn't going to find much to complain about if the quest dragged on.

"Pretty sweet huh?" Garet grinned at Isaac. "Makes Vale seem even more backwater."

Isaac merely grunted in response, the action causing Garet's face to darken. He couldn't complain about much, true, but that didn't mean that he couldn't think of something to fill the void, namely how Isaac had seemingly returned to his role of silent protagonist. Ever since they'd burnt the zombies' remains he'd barely uttered a word, having an almost remorseful look on his face. Hopefully this wasn't a sign of things to come. With Isaac not speaking and Flint being too hyperactive for his liking, their quest would become drastically less appealing.

As they neared, the two boys noticed that they'd come at the wrong time of day, given that the northern entrance had many people streaming in and out of the town, quite a few of them bringing wagons ladled with various goods-lumber, wheat, silk… Entering the town was definitely going to be a task longer than they would have cared for.

"Flint, you better disappear for awhile," said Isaac as they neared the gates. "It's probably best not to arouse any suspicion."

"Ok." Flint bonded with Isaac as Garet turned to Isaac; "How would we arouse suspicion?"

"Garet, think about it. We're both carrying swords, which I doubt is the norm for many travellers. It's also highly unlikely that those travellers would have bouncing furballs on their shoulders-…"

"I heard that!" shouted Flint mentally.

Isaac ignored him; and finally, I doubt that Vault has seen many adepts over the years, maybe none at all."

"Oh. Right, the whole psyenergy thing." Vault suddenly seemed a lot less appealing as Garet remembered that adepts were only commonly found in Vale, psyenergy being a phenomenon to the rest of the world. Caution wasn't something that came naturally to him.

The pair reached the northern entrance, falling into a steadily moving line. Garet looked up to see a wooden arch suspended above the gap in the cliff, words written in weathered paint;

**Vault-The Town at the Heart of Angara**

"I knew it," he murmured. "We've come to a town of bigheads."

**XXXX**

Isaac was grateful that neither Garet nor Flint were pushing him for conversation, as he was uncomfortable enough. Unpleasant memories were still going through his head, the sun was beating down on them with unusually high heat for late autumn and the line was barely moving. Looking ahead he saw the cause-the owner of a wagon laden with lumber was arguing with one of the guards on duty-something about tariffs and how the lumber had come all the way from some place called Kolima and was therefore of the highest quality. It made little sense to him.

Glancing to the line of people heading out of the city, Isaac saw a whole convoy of horse drawn wagons slowly heading off. He looked over at the front one, next to which he could see two men arguing as they walked out;

"Bunza, my decision is final. We're leaving Vault and returning to Kalay immediately." The one who spoke was wearing a fine teal tunic with numerous intricate maroon coloured patterns woven into it. He wore a traveller's cap of the same design, giving way to long, obviously washed brown hair. A moustache drooped down either side of his mouth. The man was obviously quite wealthy given his clothing, yet somehow conveyed a sense of ease when it came to the rigours of travel. A trader perhaps? The six wagons he was leading seemed to give that impression.

"Master Hammet, surely you're overreacting." The second man had spoken. His attire indicated that he was a worker-a sleeveless white shirt, thick green trousers and a muscular body structure. He was completely bald except for jet black hair that came down from the backside of his head.

"Bunza, I will broke no argument. Not only is Vault currently hosting a pack of thieves but we're too close to the volcano. No, we're leaving now and that's it." As if to prove his point, Mt. Aleph rumbled, causing the travellers and soldiers to glance northwards aprehensibly. Isaac barely noticed however, reflecting on what the one called Hammet had said; Vault hosting thieves? This sounded ominous.

"But heading north to the Goma Range? I know that the bridge south of us is destroyed but travelling north-east is dangerous, Dodonpa's thieves roam the plains. A caravan carrying yourself and Kalay's finest wares would be an irrisistable target."

"Bunza, now you're the one who's overreacting. If we wait for the bridge to be repaired, I may lose more than just my rod."

Bunza sighed; "Yes, that's also what I'm worried about. Are sure it's ok to simply leave Ivan behind like this to search for it? He's only fifteen!"

"As fond as I am of Ivan it is his fault that the rod was stolen," said Hammet firmly. "Don't doubt the lad, his strange powers will help him."

"_Strange powers?"_ wondered Isaac. _"Could he mean…no, surely not. Adepts are only found in Vale_."

Bunza was equally curious; "Strange powers? That's the first I've heard of it."

"Yes, strange powers of intuition," said Hammet awkwardly, indicating that he felt that he'd said too much. "Anyway, it's not worth worrying about. One way or another, we're getting back to Kalay." By this time the wagons had fully cleared the gates. Hammet and Bunza boarded the front one and rolled off.

"Interesting…" said Flint in Isaac's mind.

"Yeah…" Isaac wished that their conversation had provided the answers to the questions raised-what was this about thieves? Who was this Ivan character? Did he literally possess strange powers or was Master Hammet simply using a figure of speech? Isaac mentally sighed-he'd be playing Twenty Questions before he knew it.

By this time the trader from Kolima had passed through, letting the line move again. Isaac and Garet soon reached the front, seeing a guard sitting at a wooden desk. A halberd was propped up against the cliff face but his casual demur suggested that he wasn't particularly fond of wielding it. Leather armour was over a red tunic, with blue trousers. He glanced up at them, noticing their weapons;

"I see that you two prepared well for your travels."

"Er, pardon?" asked Garet. No-one had ever complimented him for having been prepared before.

"You're equipped with swords, protecting you against bandits and monsters. Makes a change from the usual travellers whining about their hardships. If you two and the group before you are anything to go by, that thankfully looks set to change."

"_Group before us?" _Isaac wondered. _"Could he be referring to Saturos and co? All of them were armed apart from Jenna and Kraden."_

"When did this group arrive?" asked Isaac.

"Two days ago. Why?"

"Oh…nothing."

Isaac knew that pressing the guard for questions would only arouse his suspicion so he let the matter drop. As the guard went through their backpacks looking for any illegal items or substances (he mentioned something about opium from a place called Xian) Isaac pondered what he had said. Assuming that group was indeed Saturos and co., he could assume that they were therefore two days ahead of them. Still, it was probably best to enter Vault first and see what news they could find, along with purchasing supplies. There was also this Ivan character to consider.

As the guard searched their packs he went on about the number of monster attacks there'd been in recent times. Prior to the eruption, the vermin that roamed the plains rarely, if ever struck, and limited their attacks to single, unwary travellers. Ever since the eruption however, things had changed. The vermin had become more aggressive and were gathering in greater numbers, even attacking the small houses that resided outside the city. Something had changed in the eruption, although he had no idea what. Isaac knew what had occurred, but didn't see how there could have been a connection. Was the eruption some sort of sign, or were other forces at work here?

Isaac had little time to ponder as the guard soon handed their packs back to them; "Make sure you keep them close," he said. "We take no responsibility if they go missing." Garet raised an eyebrow but Isaac had an idea of what he was referring to, namely the thievery that Hammet had given reference to.

The two boys entered the town, realising that it was at least twice as big as Vale. Isaac, like Garet, experienced a 'wow moment' but had it cut short by Flint talking to him; "Isaac, can you sense it?" he asked.

"Huh? Sense what?" he shot back mentally.

"I can feel a source of psyenergy somewhere in this town. Faint, but it's the opposite of yours."

"Opposite of mine? As in, opposite to Venus psyenergy?"

"Yeah, maybe," said Flint. "Hard to tell. I bet I'd have an easier time if I was in a stronger adept."

Isaac ignored the insult but kept Flint's words in mind as he turned to Garet, who was still gawking at the three story buildings stupidly; "Garet, snap out of it. We don't have time for sightseeing."

Garet shook his head, seemingly emerging from a daze; "Sorry. Anyway, what do we do now? Wanna get some lunch?"

"Lunch!?" Isaac exclaimed. "We only had breakfast about three hours ago."

"My point exactly," said Garet. "That's a long time."

Isaac resisted the urge to groan; he could ignore Garet's desire for food and start finding out what he could, but his hungry friend wouldn't make things easy on him. "Fine, we'll get something. We have to find an inn anyway."

**XXXX**

Rather sensibly, an inn was located close to the northern entrance. Although slightly larger than Herbert's inn back at Vale, Garet barely noticed, instead wondering about the menu. He was broken out of his daydream however when three planks tumbled down off the roof, nearly hitting him.

"What the hell!?" he exclaimed, his hand reaching for his sword.

"Oh! Sorry, sorry that was an accident!" Isaac and Garet looked up to the source, seeing a boy on the roof, roughly the same age as they were.

"Watch it you clumsy oaf, you-…"

"Garet, calm down," said Isaac. "You can't really call anyone clumsy without being hypocritical at the same time." Garet's face darkened in response.

Isaac took the planks under his arm and climbed a ladder leading to the thatched roof. A hole was present, with the supports underneath it destroyed.

"Sorry about that," said the boy, taking the planks from Isaac. He had a tuff of brown hair, a blue tunic and white trousers. "It's not often that I have to be a handyman."

"That's ok, don't worry about it," said Isaac as he glanced at the hole. "What happened to the roof?"

The boy's face darkened; "Happened about two days ago, when the eruption occurred. A fiery rock burnt a hole through the roof. Must have come all the way from the volcano"

"Really?" Under normal circumstances Isaac would have found such a thing hard to believe but with everything that had happened in recent times the word "normal" was alien to him.

"Yeah. Sheesh, it's always me who has to take care of these things! Wash dishes, clear rooms, do-…"

Isaac decided that it would be wise to head back down the ladder before the kid took out his anger on him. He could sympathise with his frustrations, he was often called upon to mend the failing roof that he and his mother had slept under at Vale. Still, at least he was able to do so without complaint. Isaac shook his head-best not to think about Vale. It wouldn't do well to experience homesickness so early in their quest. With a nod to Garet, the two boys headed inside.

The inn was just like Herbert's-simple, but homely. Isaac glanced up at the ceiling to see the hole, but the roof was fully intact, no hole visible. Odd, but it probably wasn't worth dwelling on. They walked up to the innkeeper, a woman wearing a maroon blouse with hair of the same colour. She was sitting behind a desk with a single lantern. "Welcome to our inn," she said as they approached. "It's eight coins for a room, charged nightly."

Garet raised an eyebrow; "Um…is this rhetoric or something?"

"Of course. Why?" asked the innkeeper, puzzled at such a silly question.

"Um, never mind."

Isaac decided to cut to the chase; "Yes, we'll take a single room. Here's payment." He put eight coins onto the desk.

"Very well," she said as she opened a drawer and took out a key marked 'Room 04'. "I hope you enjoy your stay. Know that we do not take any responsibility for missing items."

Isaac remained silent, her words being eerily similar to those of the guard at the gate and Hammet's mention of Vault hosting thieves. Garet remembered too, although he had other things in mind; "Thanks. By the way, I don't suppose you've had any other guests recently. A party of six? Has an old man and teenage girl."

"I'm sorry, but I cannot divulge information about our customers," said the innkeeper. "I hope you understand."

"Yeah, we do," said Isaac quickly, not wanting Garet to make a scene. Surprisingly, he caught on.

"Alright, I understand. By the way, what's for lunch?"

"Lunch?" asked the innkeeper. "I'm afraid that we don't provide it, only breakfast and dinner. Drinks are complimentary to all guests though." She gestured to a nearby still.

Isaac saw a wild look form in Garet's eyes and quickly interposed; "Garet, forget it. Just take our packs up to our room."

"Sure. Ok." It was Garet's turn to be distant as he took off his own pack, took Isaac's and walked up the stairs.

Glad that an embarrassing scene had been averted, Isaac walked over to one of the stills, pouring himself some water. The noon sun and its consequent heat had him parched. He took a sip-cool and refreshing. As he stood in the corner, he pondered over recent events-the bridge south being destroyed, news of thievery, this Ivan character…He also reminded himself that they'd have to buy supplies too. Many issues, but Isaac welcomed them, as they kept his mind off more…unpleasant memories, memories that no doubt made him distant as he had been when walking to Vault. He'd probably have to apologise to Garet at some point.

"Hey pal, what's with the loner crap? Is the wall your only friend?"

Isaac turned to the source, seeing an off duty soldier sitting at a table, jet black hair with the sleaves of his tunic fully rolled up. A mug of ale was before him.

"Ohh, you're not going to take that are you Isaac?" asked Flint, seemingly eager for a fight.

"Don't get any ideas Flint," Isaac shot back, not wanting any trouble.

"Can't talk eh? You mute or something?"

"Come on Isaac, stand up for yourself."

Isaac didn't need prompting as he'd already headed over. He tried to look imposing but, judging by the guard's next comment, he seemed to be failing; "I see you've got a sword. What type of wood is it made out of?"

Isaac put his mug down and leant forward; "Nice calls pal. They show how sad your existence is in that you have nothing better to do."

"Ohh, harsh," laughed the soldier. He took another swig of ale and extended his hand; "No harm meant pal. Name's Alan."

Isaac decided to accept it, reasoning that it would probably be wise to get in the soldier's good graces. Perhaps he could find out more about Vault and recent events without arousing suspicion.

"So, you're a traveller?" asked Alan as Isaac took a seat, noticing his yellow cape. "Where you headed?"

Isaac shrugged; "Goma Range I guess. The bridge to the south of us is destroyed after all."

"Damn right," said the guard bitterly. "Happened in the eruption, a flaming rock smashing it. Seriously, what are the odds?"

Isaac shrugged, Alan's words reaffirming the fact that Saturos and Menardi must have indeed headed for the Goma Range, although whether or not they passed through Vault was a question that was probably going to remain unanswered.

"So, how long are you planning to stay in Vault?" asked Alan.

"I dunno, we'll probably leave tomorrow," said Isaac.

"You'd do well to do so," said Alan, taking another sip. "Less chance of being robbed, although since you're in this inn of thieves keeping your belongings is far from guaranteed."

"Really? What's with all this thievery being referenced?" asked Isaac, wanting a full explanation. "I've heard that Vault is a city of thieves, or words to that effect."

Alan raised an eyebrow; "Don't get the wrong impression pal. Vault is basically thief free, it was only during the eruption that we suffered from it."

"What happened?"

Alan took another swig before continuing; "The eruption caused a beautiful light display so, as one may expect, many of Vaults' citizens went outside their houses to watch. Heading back in however, many of them found they'd been robbed, no doubt by the damn thieves in their room upstairs!"

Isaac raised an eyebrow and took a sip of water; "Isn't that being a bit presumptuous?"

"Hardly," growled Alan. "The thieves arrived on the day of the eruption and besides, no-one from Vault would do such a thing. It wasn't just common items they stole, the mayor's family urn, our sanctum's idol statue and Master Hammet's rod."

"Master Hammet?" asked Isaac, feigning ignorance. Perhaps he could twist the conversation to the subject of Ivan.

"Yeah, some trader from Kalay," said Alan. "His servant Ivan let his rod get stolen, left it in one of the caravans to watch the light show. Poor kid was left behind to retrieve it."

"You think he's up to the task?"

Alan shrugged; "Maybe. Haven't that much but apparently his social skills need work. Kinda quiet, almost…mystic, or something. I dunno, many of Hammet's traders said there was something…weird, about him."

Isaac nodded in understanding, taking note of the interesting information; "So where is he?"

"Staying at the mayor's house. The coot's offered a reward for anyone who catches the thieves." Alan snorted; "Heh, like anyone in Vault would ask for money in return." He sculled the rest of his ale; "Anyway, I better get back to duty. See ya kid."

"See ya," Isaac murmured as Alan paid for the ale considering that he wasn't staying at the inn. He went over what he'd heard; although perhaps overly patriotic of his town, what he'd said about Ivan generally matched up with what he'd heard from Hammet. The prospect of finding a fellow adept was certainly enticing.

But what if he was overreacting? After all, Kraden had said that adepts were virtually non-existent in the world outside Vale. What if this Ivan character was simply a social oddity considered unnatural and therefore subject to rumours?

As frustrating as such questions were, Isaac welcomed them, as they kept from reflecting on what had been bothering him. He was so caught up in thought that he didn't notice Garet until he sat back down beside him, landing on the seat with a heavy thud. Isaac turned to him; "You took your time. Stop to get some grub out of the bags?"

"What do you take me for, some pig with no concept of restraint?"

Isaac opened his mouth but Garet interposed; "Don't answer. Anyway, sorry for taking so long but I heard some interesting stuff up there…"

**Five Minutes Ago**

Garet dumped his backpack and Isaac's in Room 04, wishing that the inn didn't have so many stairs, almost as much as he wished that they provided a midday cuisine. He'd thought that there'd be some kind of servant to take them but he guessed that the kid fixing the roof usually had that task. Come to think of it, maybe that was a blessing. If he was as clumsy bringing up bags as he was with tools then his absence was a blessing.

He went to head out when he heard a voice come through the wall separating room 04 from 03; "I'm telling you man, we better skip town soon."

Garet raised an eyebrow- what was this about? Another voice could be heard, but it was softer than the first, basically inaudible. He pressed his ear against the wall;

"Look, people are getting suspicious of us, not to mention that little freak."

"Freak?" asked the second. "You mean Hammet's whelp?"

"Yeah, that midget called Ivan. He just comes near me and…I dunno, goes into limbo or something. Almost as if he's supernatural. He wouldn't stop following me, always going weird whenever I stood still."

The source of the second voice sighed; "Ok, we'll skip town later. Just stay cool, ok? It's not as if anyone is going to rat on us."

No more sounds came through. Garet stood up, pondering what had transpired. He didn't know what it meant. All he did know was that he was damn hungry…

**Back to the Present**

"And let me guess, at this point, you rummaged through my bag to get the grub you'd been denied" said Isaac.

"What!? No, of course not!" protested Garet.

Isaac smiled faintly; "Garet, you're a hopeless liar. Anyway, it doesn't matter. What matters now is that we decide what to do next."

Garet shrugged; "Your call pal."

"Gee, thanks," murmured Isaac, not exactly impressed with Garet's 'contribution.' Knowing that his friend wasn't going to be able to come up with anything useful, Isaac realised that he'd have to deal with things himself.

Of course, he would have done so anyway. The men that Garet heard talking…they'd mentioned something about this Ivan character again, inferring that he was supernatural. When one took into account what he'd heard Bunza, Hammet and Alan say…well, it was pretty easy to see a pattern emerging, a pattern that led to what Kraden would have called an impossibility.

For Isaac, that made the course of action forming in his mind all the more appealing.

"Garet, get up, we're leaving," said Isaac, doing what he'd ordered Garet to do.

"Huh? We're leaving Vault already?" Garet asked.

"No. We have an…appointment with a certain someone."

"Huh? Who?"

Isaac sighed; hopefully this Ivan character would be quicker on the uptake.

**A/N**

_And I leave it there. Yes, I did say Ivan would be here but…oh well, no excuses. I really ought to stop making declarations on what's coming._

_Still, I do have a reason for leaving it here. We all know the story of Golden Sun and we therefore all know that at the end of the Vault section of the game there's the fight with the thieves. A long chapter of mainly dialogue featuring a fight at the end would probably make it seem like a form of extra insertion. To get the full impact I thought that dividing the Vault section would be better._

_Anyway, that's pretty much all. I'm not too pleased as to how this chapter went, Isaac and Garet staying in Vault rather than chasing Saturos and Menardi only due to rumours. I know that's stretching it but I had to think of some excuse as to why they'd head off to see Ivan. Helping deal with the thieves wouldn't cut it in my mind._

_That's my 2 cents. Flame me all you want._


	19. Power of Insight

**Golden Sun: The Broken Seal**

**Chapter 18: Power of Insight**

"Isaac, are you certain about this?"

"Garet, don't ask me that."

"Ok, you're definitely not sure about seeing this Ivan guy are you?"

Isaac sighed as he and Garet walked through Vault's streets as they headed for the mayor's house, having obtained directions from the innkeeper. Garet spoke the truth, but not in the way he thought he did. Isaac definitely wanted to see Ivan, the possibility of finding an adept outside Vale simply too enticing to pass up.

However, it was the actual execution of finding out whether Ivan was an adept or not that bothered him-how was he meant to go about it? _"Hey, I was just wondering, do you possess_ _the ability to use psychic energy by any chance? I just heard some strange, probably unfounded rumours about you having strange powers."_ Isaac shuddered; even Felix would have been able to find a way to be more subtle.

"Garet, what have we got to lose by seeing him?"

"Um, pride?" Clearly Garet was thinking along the same lines as his friend.

"Ok, apart from that," said Isaac. "I mean, aren't you at least slightly excited at the possibility of finding another adept in the world?"

"After encountering Saturos and co…no, not really."

"Ok, let me rephrase that," said Isaac as they passed Vault's sanctum; a building similar to the one in Vale but built into the cliff face. "Aren't you at least slightly excited at the possibility of finding another adept in the world that isn't intent on releasing alchemy for his or her own selfish purposes?"

Garet shrugged; "I guess. But how are we going to go about it?"

Isaac's grimaced; "don't ask me that either."

"But-…"

"Look, just let me do the talking, ok?" said Isaac as they walked up the steps leading to the mayor's house.

"Sure, ok," said Garet softly. "_May as well go along with this_," he thought. _"Letting Isaac play the bumbling fool will make a change." _Tripping on the stairs, he proved his point.

**XXXX**

Isaac had one last moment of hesitation before knocking on the door. The rational part of his mind was screaming at him that he was wasting his time, that he was reacting to nothing more than rumours and was prolonging the time that Jenna had to spend in the clutches of Saturos and Menardi. If…no, WHEN he rescued her, he'd have to think of a convincing lie as to why it took him so long. Still, at least such a lie would be offset by the truth as to...Isaac shook his head. If he didn't watch it he'd start acting like the lovesick puppy that was currently standing next to him.

Unfortunately for Isaac, at least by his own opinion, curiosity was winning out over rationality. The chance of encountering another adept in the world…well, it was intriguing to say the least. Not only were Isaac and Garet outnumbered two to one by Saturos and his party but they were also psyenergeticly inferior. You could tell that just by _looking _at their foes. Perhaps another adept could help even the odds. And hadn't Flint said that he'd felt a source of psyenergy in the town? Rumours were one thing but such words from a djinn had far more bearing in them…right?

Isaac's pondering ground to a halt as the wooden door that he'd knocked on partially opened, a chain preventing it from going the whole way. Looking through the opening Isaac could see an old man-snow white hair with a moustache of the same colour, large spectacles situated above it. Similar to Garet's grandfather yet even older.

"Yes, can I help you?" he asked, adjusting his glasses.

"Um…yeah. We were travelling through Vault and we heard about the thievery you suffered recently." Isaac hoped for their sakes that he'd sounded sufficiently diplomatic, his only consolation being that he was at least doing better than Garet would have done. To his relief, he saw the mayor break into a faint smile;

"Ah, I see. After the reward are you?"

"Er, yes, that's correct. We're mercenaries and heard that a boy named Ivan is staying with you." Isaac noticed that Garet opened his mouth to protest but to his relief, seemingly decided against it. "We were wondering if he could help us."

The mayor nodded; "Very well. I'll let him know that you wish to see him." Closing the door he presumably headed off to fetch the boy. Isaac felt relief surge through him-so far so good. Of course confronting Ivan about whether he truly possessed psyenergy wouldn't be easy but he felt that he may as well savour the feeling while he could. Unfortunately it was cut short by Garet;

"Mercenaries?" he hissed. "That's the best occupation you could come up with?"

"What's wrong with that?" asked Isaac, slightly irritated at having the flow of his 'confidence surge' interrupted.

"Well…couldn't you have chosen something more…heroic?" Garet seemed to be doubting the worth of pressing his point but continued on regardless; "I mean, we're far better than mercenaries, right? Chosen by the Wise One and all that?"

Isaac chuckled; "True, but think about it, who's going to believe that?"

"Um-…"

"No-one," said Isaac firmly.

"Alright, you've made your point," said Garet sullenly. The future prospects of their quest suddenly didn't look so appealing.

Isaac wondered whether he should return to the pleasant feeling that relief provided. Hearing soft footfalls coming from within the house, he decided against it, wanting to prepare himself for the confrontation. Seeing that the door opened a few seconds later, revealing a short boy with golden hair looking up at him and Garet.

"You asked for me?" he said softly.

The two boys, especially Garet, were slightly taken aback. If they had to describe Ivan with a single word, "small" would be the first one to come to mind. Isaac had indeed heard that he was fifteen but even so…two heads shorter than Garet! "Short stuff" was an insult that had probably come his way numerous times.

Or maybe not. He appeared to be fairly well off given his clothing; maroon trousers, a purple tunic and a small travelling cape that came around his chest, showing an emblem of a golden square featuring three interlocking triangles, each with a smaller triangle within them. It was clear that he was associated with those in high places as his attire was fitting of regality.

His physical appearance however, was in contrast to this. He was indeed short, adding to the impression of being…withdrawn. Lavender eyes underneath a mat of golden hair added to this. Isaac was partly reminded of himself when he was younger. Indeed, at the age of fifteen, he was probably just as quiet and introverted as Ivan appeared to be, the memories of the storm that took his father still fresh.

Yet pain seemed to be absent from Ivan, as far as Isaac could tell. Isaac had been withdrawn once due to the storm. Felix had been quiet due to a love of literature and, at least according to Garet, a lack of social skills... Ivan however, seemed to give out a mystic feeling naturally. In fact, come to think of it, it would seem wrong for this feeling to be absent.

"Yes, we did," said Isaac, having composed his analysis within a few seconds. "You're Ivan I take it?"

Ivan simply nodded. It was perhaps just as well that he didn't speak as Flint was talking to Isaac in his mind;

"_There's no mistaking it Isaac, the boy's the source of the psyenergy I felt earlier. He's definitely an adept._"

"_You're sure?_"

"_Definitely_."

Isaac once again felt a surge of emotion, yet it wasn't as clear cut as the previous one. On one hand he was excited of actually encountering another adept, one that, at least judging by his appearance, wasn't about to endanger the world for personal gain in the near future. Logic however, offset this-there was no guarantee that Ivan would actually admit to it.

Ivan was giving him a quizzical look and Garet looking at him expectantly, as they'd agreed that Isaac would do the talking. Such stares were sending Isaac into a panic; "_Great, what do I do now? Just ask him here and now whether he just happens to possess strange powers? I might as well-…_"

"Yes, I do indeed possess strange powers as you call them," said Ivan simply and suddenly.

Isaac involuntarily recoiled, causing Garet to raise an eyebrow; "Isaac, what's wrong?"

Isaac didn't answer, as he was the only one who had access to his thought stream…right? With Ivan's simple statement, he wasn't so sure anymore. "_What just happened?_" he wondered. "_Is this a different type of power from what Garet and I have?_"

"You possess them too, don't you?" whispered Ivan.

"Huh?" Garet exclaimed, catching on to the same realisation that Isaac had come to-something was up and it was unlike anything he'd ever seen before. He could see that Ivan was faintly glowing with white light, a sign that Kraden had said was an indicator of one using psyenergy. _"Could this simply be another psyenergetic power that Kraden either neglected to mention or didn't know of?" _Isaac wondered.

"What, my power…it's called psyenergy?" asked Ivan, an expression akin to a combination of delight and awe etched on his features. No such expression was on Isaac and Garet's face however, the later turning to Isaac;

"Isaac, what's going on? Why's he making statements at random?"

"I don't think that they're random," murmured Isaac. He locked his eyes in with Ivan; "They're not, are they?" he asked firmly.

Ivan glanced to either side of him, seemingly to make sure that no one was watching or listening in. Eventually he spoke; "I feel I can trust you. After all, you possess similar powers do you not?"

"What? What are you-…"

"Garet, forget it," said Isaac firmly, guessing that feigning ignorance was futile at this point. He continued studying Ivan; "Yes, we have…strange powers as you may call them."

Part of Isaac's mind, possibly a side effect of the wisecracking djinn that was Flint being in there, was marvelling at the irony at how he felt compelled to fully conform to diplomacy when dealing with a boy two years younger than he was and shorter than such a relatively small difference in age would suggest.

Yet there was something…different about Ivan. He excluded an almost quiet confidence, conveying the impression of possessing trust that, while not handed out easily, was far more enduring than what others may give out. He could probably learn more from people by watching them rather than listening.

"I thought so," Ivan smiled. He glowed white again; "Something bothers both of you, yet for different reasons." He fell silent, expecting them to say what these things were.

"You could say that," said Isaac awkwardly. "Have…have you always possessed this power?"

Ivan nodded; "Yes, for as long as I can remember."

"I see. And are there any others that you can wield?" Isaac felt that perhaps he was letting curiosity get the better of him, yet he persisted; the ability to read minds was something completely new to him. Was it tied with a particular element? If Garet was anything to go by, probably not fire and as far as he could tell from his own abilities, not earth either. Did Ivan possess power over wind, or perhaps water? Or was he like those in Vale; possessing psyenergy to a limited extent but without any significant ties to a particular element?

"Well, I-…"

"Hey, hold on a sec!" said Garet suddenly, breaking what had previously been uneasy silence on his part. He turned to face Isaac; "Aren't you being a bit…open?"

"Garet, what are you-…"

"Isaac, we barely know him!" Recent events had clearly unnerved the Mars Adept. "How can we trust him?"

"What's not to trust?" asked Isaac. "He possesses psyenergy just like we do. What's to fear?"

"What about his ability to read minds!?" burst out Garet, glaring at Ivan, his hand straying to his sword. "How can we stay in the same area knowing that at any second our thoughts could be out to the world!?"

"_Garet has secrets?" _queried Flint in Isaac's mind.

"_Yeah, girl stuff," _Isaac shot back, guessing that part of Garet's unease was due to him wanting to keep his feelings for Jenna a secret. Still, Isaac was beginning to see his point, especially when he had such a similar thought stream.

Ivan raised an eyebrow; "Is my ability really so frightening?" he asked.

"Well, Garet's got a point," shrugged Isaac. "I mean, it's, well…"

Ivan nodded knowingly; "Take my hand." He clasped Isaac's hand and began using his mind read technique again, this time on Garet;

"_Crap, he's doing his thing again!" _Garet's thought stream coursed into Isaac through Ivan, coming through just as clearly as the numerous exclamations that Garet was making.

"Garet, calm down," said Isaac as Garet glared at Ivan. "He's not the only one who read your mind."

Garet stopped short in exclamation and stared at Isaac; "You…you read my mind?"

"Pretty much," shrugged Isaac, grinning faintly.

"What? That's not fair!" exclaimed Garet. "How come Isaac gets to read my mind and I don't-…"

Ivan interrupted by suddenly clasping Garet's hand and began reading Isaac's mind; _"Geez, does Garet always have to make a big fuss about nothing? After all…oh."_ He'd realised that his thoughts weren't protected anymore.

"Wow! I actually read your mind!" exclaimed Garet, the content of the action lost on him.

"I thought as much," said Ivan. "Given that you also possess…psyenergy, or whatever you call it, I guessed that I'd be able to share my power. Anyway, didn't you come here to see me about something?"

"Oh, right," stuttered Isaac, still taking all of this in. "Well, we actually came to see you about your…strange powers as they were called, but I guess the question is answered." Confronting Ivan had been easier than Isaac had hoped but slightly unnerving. Although not the case, the boy's simple statements made him feel that he'd been in the dark about psyenergy all his life rather than it being the other way round.

"Wait, I don't get it," said Garet. "If you can read people's minds, why don't you use that technique to find the thieves that stole Hammet's rod?"

"Master Hammet?" asked Ivan. "You know of him?"

"Yeah, we saw him outside Vault," said Isaac. "He was the one who mentioned about you having strange powers."

Ivan nodded knowingly; "Yes, he's one of the few who knows about my talents. I'm one of his servants, having to stay in Vault until I recover his stolen rod."

"But why not use your powers?" asked Garet.

"Oh, I have," said Ivan meekly. "But…well, I can only use it so much. It's not easy to just go up to strangers and read their minds. People know me back in Kalay but Vault is hardly as familiar to me."

"You seemed to be ok doing it to us," Garet muttered, still a bit miffed at having his privacy violated.

"But didn't you use it on someone staying in the inn?" asked Isaac, remembering how Garet had listened in on their conversation.

Ivan nodded; "Yes, I did. Unfortunately he wasn't too keen on having me near and I couldn't dive into his mind deeply enough. He said that if I came near him again he'd…" Ivan trailed off, seemingly still haunted by whatever threats had come his way. The feeling didn't last long however, as his eyes, having previously shown unease, now shined with hope. "I…I don't suppose you could help me?"

Isaac and Garet glanced at each other. Even without the ability to read minds, Isaac knew that Garet was thinking the same thing that he was-if they helped Ivan, they'd fall even further behind Saturos and his group, Jenna having to remain in their clutches even longer. Isaac had nothing against Ivan but he was still an unknown quantity for the most part. Could he place a stranger before his childhood friend and teacher?

On the other hand, Ivan was certainly a powerful adept, at least as far as the powers he'd demonstrated so far. If what he'd heard about the bridge was accurate then Ivan couldn't head directly back to Kalay and would either have to wait in Vault for it to be fixed or follow the same route as his master. Would it be so bad for him to tag along? Although the ability to read minds would be of limited use against violent, power hungry criminals, it didn't make Ivan totally obsolete. And besides, they'd already booked a room at the inn. What harm could come of this?

"Sure, we'll help," said Isaac eventually. Garet simply nodded. He was probably just as guilty at postponing rescuing Jenna as Isaac, if not more so, but he could see the worth of having the blonde midget in his debt.

Ivan smiled brightly; "Thanks guys. This means a lot to me." He turned to face Garet; "Sorry for any trouble this may cause you Garet."

"What!? How did you know my name!? Did you read my mind again!?" Obviously Garet still wanted to keep his thoughts to himself.

"Garet, we've been calling each other by name for the last five minutes," said Isaac, beginning to seriously consider whether Garet was a liability or asset.

"Yeah, it's pretty obvious," said Ivan. "But don't worry, I won't read your minds again. It's obviously…discomforting."

"Thanks," murmured Garet. He relaxed slightly but still remained serious; "But what about people that you use it on? Won't they be able to tell that you're reading their minds?"

"No, I don't think so," said Ivan. "We share similar powers which I think allows you to see me using…"

"Psyenergy," completed Isaac. "You're probably right though. Only adepts can actually see someone using psyenergy, although the results are clear to all."

"Adepts?" asked Ivan, clearly interested.

"Long story," said Garet, returning to his impatient self. "We'll explain on the way to the inn." With that, he began striding off.

"You mean _I'll_ have to explain," murmured Isaac, quickly noticing the distance between Garet and Ivan. Still, it was good to have the old Garet back. He was a good friend in a world that seemed to snatch them away from him. Jenna, Felix… At least Flint and even Ivan could partially make up for it. He turned to the said individual who gave him a faint smile and a nod. They both started following the Mars Adept, seemingly eager to arrive at the inn quickly. Maybe he was eager to confront the suspects. Maybe he was eager to arrive first due to the promise of dinner.

Or both.

**A/N**

_I know that none of us have to make deadlines but going for three weeks without updating may have been stretching it. Suffice to say, Year 12 assessments don't exactly smile on hobbies. Plus there's other interests to consider._

_Also, some of the delay was working on the lore of the fic(s). While a general plotline is planned, some of what I write is made up as I go, so to counteract this I have sessions of planning ahead, eg the timeline. Actually gave rise to a story I hadn't planned before._

_The timeline will appear in my profile and will be updated as the story/stories progress. Can't say that there's anything too interesting to report now but, well, time may tell._

_But anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself. Till next time._


	20. Servant of the Wind

**Golden Sun: The Broken Seal**

**Chapter 19: Servant of the Wind**

Although visual impressions might have indicated otherwise, Vault was similar to Vale in many respects. The few soldiers that the town maintained rarely had any trouble on their hands, unwarranted suspicion was frowned upon and the community was generally tight knit. Given the similarities between the two villages it was hardly a surprise that Vault was the only settlement that Vale maintained a sense of regular contact with, bending the declarations of isolation that the elders had maintained in order to safeguard the secrets of alchemy.

Of course, times change and with the first Seal of Sages broken and the consequent release of psyenergy and the possibility of that of alchemy, the world was changing too. Both towns were having their share of troubles with recent events, both similar and different. Vale was troubled because of the fact that there was an active volcano threatening the townsfolk, the Elemental Stars had been stolen and the world seemed to be heading for a cataclysm that would end civilisation as they knew it.

Vault's problems were less significant in the general scope of things but that didn't stop its townsfolk worrying about them. And who could blame the people for doing so? The town itself was safe due to the geography of the basin it was situated in but the same couldn't be said for many of the small farming dwellings outside, many of which had come under attack from vermin, creatures that had previously left Vault's inhabitants well enough alone. What could have riled them to more coordinated action? The only significant event in recent times was the eruption to the north but that should have made them even more timid, not less so.

And what of the thievery that had plagued the town on the evening of the eruption? An outsider might have scoffed at such a notion but the people of Vault knew that no-one in their town would do such a thing and any thievery of such a scale would have to have been committed by an outsider. Or in the case of the men staying in Room 03 of Vault's inn, men who had arrived on the same day of the eruption; "thieving weasels" and other, more colourful terms.

If one could have peered into the room, they'd be able to see that the two men sitting on the beds certainly looked the part of lawbreakers; they both wore greying patched tunics that were intermingled stains, some of them disturbingly dark red in colour, turning a muddy brown. Their trousers were of the same faded tone. Although not quite as tarnished in terms of colouring, numerous holes had opened up all over in them. "A stitch in time saves nine" was obviously a saying that was lost on them.

Or maybe they just didn't care. After all, their physical bodies were in no better shape. The entire room reeked of body odour and it was pretty apparent as to where the source of it was. Both had a few missing teeth and numerous cracked ones, scars that evidently came from blades. It was hard to say what was more distinct about their visages; the scars. The distinctly unshaven look they conveyed, their dark greasy hair or the seemingly 'hungry' look that was always in their eyes.

Sitting on the end of his bed, one of the two men currently in the room was marvelling at the irony at it all, in that the law was actually aiding them for once. If justice was carried out purely on visual impressions and suspicion, the group would have been thrown in Vault's prison almost as soon as the people became aware that their possessions were missing. However, for justice to be carried out evidence was needed and so far, none had been found.

Still, it was only one part of his mind that was marvelling at the irony. Another, larger part was deeply concerned. He knew that leaving the town now was extremely risky as the soldiers were on the lookout for anyone possibly involved with the thievery and that included those at the gates. Jack had argued that it was best to leave after the people had calmed down and became for lax. While he could see the logic in that, he knew that the longer they waited, the more likely it would be that evidence would be found. Given how the whole town was in a state of shock at the events, it was hardly an appealing prospect. He needed to take his mind off things and the knock at the door did just that. Given how silent his companion had been, it seemed to have the same effect;

"Ah, maybe Jack's back," he grinned as he headed over, showing what was essentially a dentist's nightmare as he did so. "Maybe we can finally leave this dirt hole."

"Ditto." They both walked over, allowing hope to fill them. The doorway didn't lead to hope however, it led to something else…

**XXXX**

"Well, here we go," thought Isaac as the door opened. It revealed two poorly dressed and shaven men, both of which reeked enough to tempt him into recoiling. He managed to resist though, knowing that visual impressions would be important.

"Yes, can we help you?" asked one of the men cautiously. What had previously been a grin was now just a straight face. He stared at the three males in the doorway. One had spiky brown hair with a battle sword sheathed in his belt, muscles clearly showing from under his tunic. The second was less visually intimidating but made up for it by giving him the feeling of being under scrutiny, his piercing blue eyes conveying that effect. The third was…no, surely he wouldn't come back here!

_Ivan_

"What are you doing back here you little shrimp!?" One of the men had drawn a serrated blade from his belt, the only item of clothing that wasn't second rate. "Did you forget our warning?"

Ivan's face was drained of colour, indicating that he did indeed remember what that warning entailed. If he'd been alone, just like last time, the conversation may have ended there and then. Luckily for the adept, things were different this time round.

"Hey, lay off him," said Garet, taking a step forward, causing the two men in front of them to recoil. "He's just trying to get his master's rod back, is that so bad?" Given how fake his smile was, it was obvious that if it _was_ bad in their eyes, they'd instantly become worse in his.

The two men glanced at each other, a silent and unseen conversation seemingly occurring between them. After a few seconds, they broke off, one licking his lips nervously; "Fine, what's your business?"

"We're mercenaries hired by the mayor," said Isaac, once again conveying a forced smile. "We're investigating the spate of robberies that took place. We were wondering-…"

"Look, we've said it before, and we'll say it again, we didn't-…"

"We're not accusing you," said Isaac firmly. "We're simply wondering if you could answer a few questions. You know, if you saw anything, where were you at the time of the robberies, that sort of thing.

"And if we don't want to help?" One of the two men still had a degree of courage left.

Garet's smile became even more strained; "Then you get to see what's hanging in my belt." He tapped the sword's sheath to emphasise the point.

The two men glanced at each other again, although this time it was obvious that fear was also present in addition to resentment. Eventually, they faced the adepts and spoke;

"Fine. Let's get this over with."

**XXXX**

It had to be one of the most sickening ordeals that Garet had ever experienced, the way that he and Isaac had to treat the two criminals with such respect as they asked them the most generic questions possible, eg; where were you at the time of the incident, did you see anything? It was blatantly obvious that these two were the thieves, how they were still free men was a mystery to him.

The only factor that made the ordeal bearable was that it was a charade. Ivan had explained that they'd never agree to see him alone, due to their suspicions of him-going into limbo and all that. Distracted by Isaac and Garet though, circumstances were different. Garet noticed with satisfaction that Ivan was glowing white with psyenergy, reading their minds without arousing suspicion. Well, perhaps he was, given how he remained silent throughout the entire interrogation, but Isaac and Garet provided more than enough intimidation to keep them in place.

It seemed to take an eternity for them to run out of the questions they'd prepared and Garet genuinely felt the urge to throw up as Isaac merrily thanked them for their help and wished them good day. Given the sighs of relief they heard as they closed the door, Garet suspected that they were as grateful for their departure as he was.

The three boys walked down to the end of the hallway, well out of earshot. Eventually Garet spoke;

"Well Ivan, did you learn anything?"

Ivan nodded; "Yeah, they're definitely the thieves. No doubt about it."

"And?" Garet hoped that Ivan actually had useful information. It didn't take the ability to read minds to know that those two were criminals. Anyone with a sense of sight, and smell for that matter could pick up on that fact.

"Well, most of their thoughts were directed towards us," said Ivan, a small smile appearing. "You know, about how much they'd like to stick their knives into us and leave us to rot in some ally."

"Wow, sounds like we won the lottery with those guys."

"Perhaps," said Ivan. "Perhaps not. However, they occasionally thought of what they'd stolen and how it was in the inn."

"And where in the inn?" Garet was barely able to conceal his excitement.

Ivan smiled sheepishly; "I don't know."

One could have heard a pin drop in the five seconds of silence that the hallway experienced. Within six seconds however, the volume had changed drastically;

"**Oh well that's a great help! The items are in the inn but you don't know where! That REALLY narrows it down! I-…"**

"Garet, shut up, it does narrow it down!" shouted Isaac, his first words since entering the hallway coming as a surprise to everyone.

"Right, sorry," murmured the Mars Adept.

Isaac turned to face Ivan; "Sorry about Garet. He can be…" Isaac trailed off, once again loosing the art of diplomacy. Funny how he stumbled with Ivan yet was perfectly capable of confronting the thieves.

"It's alright," said Ivan, smiling faintly. "After all, neither of you two are obliged to help me. If-…"

"No, it's alright," said Garet. He turned to face Isaac; "But how could they be in the inn? Surely someone would have found out."

Isaac remained silent, knowing that Garet's question was entirely valid. He trusted Ivan's ability, having experienced it himself, but the conclusion itself had numerous holes in it. Assuming that the stolen items were indeed in the inn, what part of it? Obviously not in the thieves' room, it would have been searched. Another room perhaps? Unlikely. The only way that such items would remain unfound would be if someone else was in league with the criminals and although Alan's words had seemed overly patriotic, Isaac couldn't help but feel that there was some iron in them. Vault reminded him of Vale in many respects and the honesty and decency in Isaac's village seemed to be one of the similarities. Neither Ivan nor Garet seemed to be coming up with any ideas either and Isaac couldn't blame them. After all, it wasn't as if an inn this size had many hiding places. Unless…

"The attic," said Isaac eventually. "The items are in the attic."

Garet and Ivan both stopped their trains of thought and stared at their companion; "The attic?" they asked simultaneously. Garet pressed the question; "How do you even know if there is an attic?"

"Think about it," said Isaac, slowly gaining confidence in his idea. "As we approached the inn, we were nearly hit by planks coming down from the roof."

"Oh, yeah, the _handyman_." Garet clearly hadn't forgiven him for nearly getting hit by the slabs of wood.

"Right. Well, I walked up and saw that he was repairing a hole in the roof. It must have led to an attic."

"But how can you be sure?" asked Ivan.

Isaac smiled; "Logically speaking that hole should have been visible from the main room on the first floor, given its relative position. Judging by the height of the roof, it encompassed two stories."

"But what if the hole is simply situated over one of the rooms?" Garet asked.

"I glanced at it; the space below definitely didn't look like a room for guests. And besides," said Isaac, glancing at Garet. "If you ran an inn and a hole formed in the roof above one of your rooms, would you allow the repairs to take up to two days?"

"I dunno," shrugged Garet. "I mean, I could live with it."

Ivan raised an eyebrow but to Isaac, it wasn't that surprising. After all, Garet had never had to repair his own roof on a regular basis and he doubted that he'd be that troubled with it anyway-a strength, in his mind.

"Ok, but even if they are in the attic, how do we get up there?" asked Ivan. "I mean, from what you told me, I doubt that the innkeeper would allow us to head up there." Isaac and Garet just looked at him;

"What?"

**XXXX**

Ivan took a deep breath before climbing up the ladder that led to the roof. As usual, he was silent when carrying out a task. If there was another person in this world who could read minds however, they might have been deafened by all the thought streams going through his mind.

The most pressing of them was more due to instinct than anything else. Having been a servant in service of Master Hammet for as long as he could remember, obedience and discipline had become ingrained into his mind and sneaking into the attic of an inn was certainly something that the owner wouldn't appreciate. Every section of his mind was yelling at him to stop climbing and toe the line.

But if he did so, would he ever find the rod of his master? Obedience and loyalty-if he was obedient to the laws of society, did that mean that he was being disloyal to his master? If he was loyal to his master did that mean that he was no longer a law abiding individual, a virtue that had always been emphasised by his instructors and teachers?

"_It was a shame that they never told me whether the end justifies the means,"_ thought Ivan as he continued climbing. Such conflicting thoughts were adding to his already quiet nature. Conversation with his fellow servants and superiors had always been limited. Not that Ivan minded too much-his ability to read minds had always been his preferred method of finding out things about people.

Isaac and Garet were different in this regard in that they could tell when he was reading minds. At first he was excited at the prospect of finding people with special abilities, "psyenergy" or whatever they called it. Such excitement had been diluted however, when they revealed their aversion to having their thoughts revealed and he'd promised to leave their thoughts well enough alone.

The two boys were occupying an entire thought stream of their own. Having sworn not to read their minds, Ivan found that he had to gain insights into their character through what he saw and heard. So far, he'd found out relatively little. He was solely lacking in the regard of judging an individual's personality without his powers. _"Damit, how do normal people stand this?"_ the servant wondered. _"So far, there's been nothing but conflicting_ _aspects of character."_

At times they were so similar and yet so different. Ivan could see that Garet had a temper that would have landed him in hot water if he'd been a servant. From what he could tell by reading his mind when they'd come to see him, he seemed to have a very basic thought stream that either twisted and turned or remained remarkably steady the former being a sign of irrationality and the later being one of straightforwardness. An irrational decision leading to a determination to carry it through-based on those deductions Garet would have been someone that he'd treat with caution.

Yet Garet had stood up for him against the thieves, more so than Ivan would have expected from someone he'd met only about half an hour ago. He definitely had the ability to be intimidating, yet only seemed to convey this if he wanted to. For someone with his kind of thought streams, how did this work? Perhaps Garet was actually far more complex than Ivan's ability to read minds suggested. But why only on him? He'd always been able to understand other people through the technique…hadn't he? What if everything he thought he knew about his peers was based on inadequate evidence? Ivan shuddered at the thought.

Isaac was just as complex. It was blatantly obvious that Isaac had been unsure of himself when he'd come to see him. Under normal circumstances Ivan would have interpreted this as a lack of confidence. Isaac was certainly quiet enough to convey this effect and certainly couldn't provide the same level of visual intimidation that Garet was capable of. From what Ivan had originally been able to tell, Isaac was more of a follower than a leader.

Then why was Isaac indeed the leader of the pair? Apparently eight months younger than his friend, less visually intimidating and being rather unassertive. True, Ivan had read a few stories where the protagonist started off as a reluctant leader and ended up becoming a hero but he'd always assumed that such a transition was limited to the realm of fiction.

But perhaps that wasn't the case. After all, hadn't Isaac suddenly broken his silence in the inn? Hadn't he provided a course of action seemingly on the spur of the moment? Ivan would have expected such impetuousness to have come from Garet but instead it came from what he'd seen as the more rational of the two.

Rational…it was quickly becoming an alien word to Ivan. Perhaps the world was less rational than he'd thought. Perhaps people weren't as simple as he'd assumed. Perhaps…no, he couldn't keep thinking along those lines he told himself as the three climbed down into the attic and made their way to an adjacent door. "Perhaps" indicated uncertainty and that was something that Ivan didn't want to embrace at this point in time. He had to focus on the task at hand, like both Isaac and Garet were capable of doing yet not always featuring such a characteristic.

Especially when there was a boy roughly his friends' age tied up on the floor of the room in the corner, seemingly unconscious. And when in the said room there were numerous items that couldn't have all belonged to the inn's owners.

**XXXX**

"Do you think he's going to be ok?" Garet asked Isaac as the Venus adept untied the former handyman. Despite the boy's clumsiness nearly resulting in Garet getting a concussion from falling wood, Garet was concerned enough to not chuckle at the irony of the circumstances.

Isaac remained silent for a few seconds as he finished untying him. Noticing the bruises on the back of the boy's neck, he started casting healing psyenergy over him, the golden energy reducing the severity of the injuries. Ivan looked over Isaac's shoulder curiously;

"Is that one of your psyenergy techniques?" he asked.

"Yeah," said Isaac distantly, focusing on the task at hand. Eventually he rose and turned to face his companions; "Should be alright. I'm no healer but with any luck his neck will be less sore when he comes to."

"Which will be much sooner than you three twerps," snarled a voice. Three pairs of eyes turned to the source, namely one of the two men that were walking through the door. The two men that they'd interrogated. The two thieves.

"Well what do you know?" sneered the other. "A mouse walks into a hole and is followed by three rats."

"I dunno, the midget is small enough to be a mouse," said the first thief, glaring at Ivan as he drew a serrated knife. "Remember what I said last time, about how I'd stick this in you so deeply that there'd be more blood outside your body as inside it?"

"I certainly remember," said the other thief, drawing a knife of the same design. "Maybe we should follow through on it."

Ivan let out a soft whimper as he recoiled; it was the same threat that they'd given him when he first went to their room, albeit not as elaborate. It hadn't lost any of its effect though.

In contrast, Isaac and Garet stepped forward, looks of determination on their faces; "You're a lot more confident this time round," snarled Garet.

"Oh, they have reason to be," came a third voice. It didn't have the snarling, hate filled sound that the other two thieves had but it still conveyed an equal amount of menace, if not more so.

The source of the third voice became apparent as a third man entered the room, obviously a third thief. He may have well been the leader of the trio, given the better state of his attire-white trousers, a dark green tunic and an orange scarf. His visage was different also, in that his hair was brown and far cleaner. His eyes different too-the look of malicious hunger had been amplified.

"Who are you?" Garet snarled, a hand straying to his battle sword."

"Name's Jack," said the thief. "But most people call me The Ripper."

"I think we'll stick with Jack," said Isaac civilly, albeit strained in its deliverance. Given how his slim sword was strapped over his back he couldn't reach for it as subtlety as Garet could. Not that he was going to let down his guard though.

Ivan wished that he could have his friend's confidence but failed to muster it; he'd heard tales of "The Ripper", how he was one of the most cruel and vicious thieves in the service of Lunpa. His eyes strayed to a sheathed sabre in the man's belt, a popular blade in the East. It was distinguished by numerous protrusions from the main blade, making it difficult for someone to knock the sword out of the way and increasing its ability to tear flesh.

"Why are you working so hard for Hammet anyway?" asked one of the thieves. "What's it to you?"

"Hammet's my master," said Ivan firmly. "That's reason enough."

"Ah, so you're one of the lord's servants then?" sneered the one who'd identified himself as The Ripper. "Pity really."

"What are you talking about?" asked Ivan slowly.

The Ripper grinned; "I was in Vault for more than just thievery you know. "All these," he said as he gestured to the numerous items in the room; "were taken on the spur of the moment. It was these two that insisted on it." He gestured to his companions. "I was actually here to make sure that Hammet travelled north. Some lie about a generous offer in Bilbin."

"But Hammet did travel north," said Isaac. "The bridge was destroyed."

"Yes, that actually made things easier than I'd hoped for," smiled the criminal. "So easy that I made some friends and celebrated by indulging ourselves. After all, Hammet will never make it to the Goma Range. Dodonpa's thieves are lying in wait."

Dodonpa? Isaac remembered how he'd heard Bunza mention such a name to Hammet, how he'd sounded concerned about heading north because of such an individual. He turned to face Ivan, who looked like he'd seen a ghost. "Who's Dodonpa?"

"Dodonpa…" whispered Ivan. "The third ruler of Lunpa, the town that was founded by Lunpa, the noble thief. Son of Donpa, who also ruled justly. Dodonpa however, is truly vicious. He's a man of no morals."

It sounded like Ivan had merely recited something he'd heard before. Given the fear that was showing in his face however, perhaps it was all he could manage.

"Pretty good summary kid," sneered The Ripper, gloating at Ivan's concern for his master. "I wonder how Hammet will like being the servant for once…" He trailed off, before suddenly glaring at the three boys who stood in his way of making it back to Lunpa with the items and reaping the rewards of claiming that he destroyed the bridge and therefore forcing Hammet to travel north.

"But I digress," he said eventually. "A mouse can be set free after capture. Rats however, are a different story." With a single flick of his wrist he lobbed a smoke bomb, engulfing the three adepts in smoke. Laughter could be heard along with the sound of a sword being drawn. Neither Isaac nor Garet could do anything about it, fire and earth being useless against smoke that distorted their vision and tempted them to slip into unconsciousness. The only question would be whether they'd loose consciousness before the knives and sabre sank in.

It was therefore to their surprise when a strong wind rushed through, blowing the smoke away and dissipating it. The thieves were equally confused;

"What the…what happened?" yelled one.

"How can there be wind in here? There's no windows!"

"I know," said Ivan softly, his eyes closed, at least until they opened, revealing a fire of conviction that neither Isaac, Garet nor any of the thieves would have given him credit for. Eventually, he spoke;

"You were saying something about a breed of rodent I believe?"

**XXXX**

The fight between the two groups had only been going for a few seconds and already Isaac was beginning to feel regret at the peace of Vale, in that fights were almost non-existent and knives were never featured. With the smoke having cleared he'd assumed and encouraged by Ivan's display of what was obviously wind psyenergy, he'd experienced a rare moment of arrogance and assumed that he and Garet would be in for a relatively easy time, given how swords were superior to knives in a fight.

At least that's what he thought. He knew that it was best for him to exploit the advantage of distance that the slim sword gave him. Unfortunately, the thief he was facing weaved in and out of his strikes, often coming closer than he'd care for.

The man shot forward, Isaac causing him to recoil with flurry of defensive swings. He kept it up, pressing his attack. Unfortunately, that caused him to let his guard down, allowing the thief to dart forward, stabbing him in the leg.

"Watch your swings pretty boy, you might slip up," he sneered as Isaac fell down on one knee. The knife shot forward until Isaac grabbed his arm and threw him aside. Discretely healing his leg with his psyenergy he rose to face his foe.

"You were saying something about slipping up?"

Before the thief could reply a fireball shot across the room. Garet was engaged with Ripper and the other thief, both of whom were looking at him with intense hatred;

"You're going down you demon!" The knife shot forward but recoiled as Garet swung his sword upwards, causing the thief to recoil. It continued on its trajectory, lodging in with Ripper's sabre due to the extrusions.

"Nice try." Ripper kicked Garet back and slashed downwards, drawing blood from his arm. Grimacing, Garet cast a small flare, causing Ripper to jump back. He grinned; "Do all the mumbo jumbo you want, you'll still-…"

It was at this point that he started to rise, caught up in a small whirlwind. Sure enough, Ivan was glowing with psyenergy. He cast Ripper across the room, hitting the thief next to him. They both landed sprawl in a corner, but given the roars of rage that followed, they were still in the fight.

So was the thief that Isaac was still engaged with, although the man had other concerns. Seeing Ivan exposed, he broke off the fight and rushed over, knife at the ready. Isaac quickly cast a quake, sending him sprawling. Running over, he channelled Venus psyenergy into his fists, bringing them down against the thief. A sickening crack was heard, no doubt his nose breaking, supported by the fact that blood trickled out of it.

"_Nice,"_ commented Flint. _"What would you do without me?"_

"_Don't get cocky Flint," _Isaac shot back. He took the man's knife and tossed it to Ivan.

"Hold them off!" he yelled as he ran over to Garet.

"What!?" exclaimed Ivan. "What can I do!?"

"I don't care!" Isaac reached Garet and began healing his arm.

"I don't need to be mollycoddled," the Mars adept gritted, his face white from blood loss disproving that notion.

"Garet, you're our best swordfighter. Now shut up."

"Fine, but what about Ivan?"

Isaac turned and swore under his breath. Ripper and the second thief had risen and were both charging Ivan. The boy shot numerous currents of air at them but they sidestepped the current every time.

Ivan considered his options quickly. In addition to his ability to read minds he'd always had a degree of control over the air around him. However, he'd never had to employ them in a fight and besides, such fights were few and far between. He was a thinker more than anything.

"_I'm going about this all wrong. Maybe…"_

Both men were a few metres away when they stopped, seeing how Ivan was slowly rising into the air, jet streams of air surrounding him. Basically, he'd cast a whirlwind on himself.

"What…what is this?" the thief wailed. "Is he some kind of demon?"

"Forget it, it's just for show!" Ripper shot forward, determined not to let some blonde lapdog get the better of him. Encouraged by his companion, the thief shot forward also.

"_Good work guys…"_

"At the last second, Ivan released the energy, flipping upwards by using the whirlwind as a figurative catapult. Somersaulting a few times in the air, he landed on the other side of the room. Ripper and the thief turned to face him, hatred clearly evident;

"If you think some fancy display of acrobatics is going to stop us then-…"

The thief was cut off as Garet hit him with the flat side of his sword, knocking him unconscious, Isaac having fully healed his sword arm. Ivan smiled, glad to see that his gamble had paid off.

Ripper roared and brought his sword down but Garet hadn't completely forgotten about him. His trust in Isaac was well placed as the Venus adept sent Ripper sprawling with a quake.

"Argh! I'll-…"

Ivan didn't particularly care what he'd do as he cast a whirlwind on the criminal, sending him sprawling into the air. To his surprise however, he actually landed on his feet, charging Garet instantly, unleashing a barrage of slashes at lightning speed.

One on one he might have prevailed, but Isaac quickly joined the fray. Even with his speed, Ripper couldn't prevail against fighters of nearly equal skill with psyenergy to boot.

Ripper brought his sword down against Isaac who parried. Simultaneously, Garet grabbed the man's arm, setting his clothing alight. Given the distraction, brought his sword against his leg from the side, cutting in deeply. He barely got a cry of pain in before Garet kicked him back, sending him sprawling.

Garet gave him no time to recover as he brought his sword down in a flurry of strikes. Ripper tried to parry but eventually the force of the blows, along with the pain of the fire and sword wound proved too much. The sabre was knocked away and Garet brought his own down for the final blow, only to have it parried. By Isaac.

"Isaac!? What the-…"

"Garet, it's over. He's beaten." Garet was slightly taken aback. He'd never seen his friend stare at him with such intensity before.

"I'm not beaten yet you-…"

Isaac simply kicked him in the head, knocking him unconscious. He turned to face Garet;

"Ok, now it's over."

Garet raised his eyebrow as he sheathed his sword, Ivan also looking at Isaac quizzically. Isaac sighed; perhaps he should tell them, how he simply didn't want death on his hands or on those of a friend. Isaac had no doubt that Garet would refuse to kill the thieves if given the chance but in battle choice was a luxury that was often denied to you.

And killing became easier the more you did it. Killing the vermin in Sol Sanctum had been bad and those on the plains, but Isaac found himself reflecting on it less and less. The zombies though…it had what had been troubling him all this time. The adrenalin coursing through him, the thrill of battle…would he end up becoming like Saturos and Menardi? He had no desire to, but one way or another death was going to feature in their confrontation. Would Jenna ever look at him in the same way again?

Best not to think about such things. Instead, it was best to focus on the task at hand-dealing with the criminals.

**XXXX**

The thieves and the now extremely grateful handyman were starting to come to as Ivan walked back in with the concerned looking mayor, a venomous innkeeper and two soldiers, one of which was Alan. The thieves presented no threat, lying on the ground, Garet and Isaac having disarmed them. They'd taken the knives for themselves while leaving the sabre, having no wish to possess such a ghastly weapon.

"These are the thieves sir," said Ivan as they entered. The said thieves, minus Ripper were murmuring in delirium;

"They…they got us…"

"After stealing all this stuff…"

"I told you we should have skipped town…"

"Beaten…by a bunch of kids!"

"Aw, what did you expect?" asked Garet. "Evil never prevails!" Everyone looked at him; "What?"

"Ah, nothing," said the mayor, deciding not to comment on the boy's delivery of the most corny line he'd ever heard. He turned his attention to the thieves; "So, you three are the criminals we've been looking for."

"Yeah, so?" sneered Ripper, trying to keep his pride intact.

"What you did was horrid! Stealing in the middle of a disaster!?"

"Hey, you're the ones who left your doors open!" yelled one of the thieves. "You were practically begging us to-…"

"Shove it!" yelled Alan, kicking him in the side. He turned to face the mayor; "Sorry, couldn't help myself." He winked at Isaac, clearly impressed. Isaac nodded in response.

The mayor smiled; "Ah, no worries. It's just a taste of prison life I suppose." Taking that as their cue, Alan and the other soldier began dragged the thieves to their feet, tying ropes around them. Ripper glared at Isaac as they did so.

"Listen _Isaac_, I'll remember this! I've been in this world for thirty-two years and I'll wait double that amount if I have to."

"Can it!" yelled Alan, hitting him over the head. The thieves were marched out, Ripper turning to face Ivan as they did so; "Good luck in serving Hammet kid. I never managed." With that, they were dragged out, along with the protesting innkeeper-something about extenuating circumstances and how the thieves could have hid the items in the attic without her knowing.

The mayor turned to face the boys; "My sincerest thanks for catching the thieves. You have my gratitude." He smiled; "And that reward I promised." He glanced at the items and sighed; "I suppose my urn and the statue's sanctum are here somewhere. I'll get the guards to transport them to the town hall."

"Pardon sir, but is it alright if I retrieve my rod here and now?" asked Ivan.

"Ah yes, of course," said the mayor. "A celebratory dinner at my house afterwards perhaps? A final farewell before heading to Kalay? Or would you like to stay in Vault until the bridge is fixed?"

"I…I'll think about it sir," said Ivan softly.

"Very well." Shaking each of the boys vigorously by the hand, the mayor walked out. An uncomfortable silence lingered as Ivan started going through the items, looking for the rod.

"You ok Ivan?" Garet asked as the boy rummaged through the items.

"I'm fine," he said tersely.

Isaac severely doubted that; "Listen Ivan, I'm sure Master Hammet is alright."

"Of course he is," said Ivan as he retrieved what seemed to be his rod. "But that won't stop me from going to Lunpa."

Isaac and Garet looked at the rod that Ivan was holding; it appeared to be made of polished wood, with green, red and yellow patterns of a language they couldn't read. It branched out into a semicircle shape at the top. At the rod's base and the end of each protrusion there was a carving of a tornado, exactly the same as the wind symbol they found outside Sol Sanctum. Was the rod a relic from the Lost Age? Perhaps. Still, it would do them little good at this point in time.

"So, I guess that this is good bye then?" asked Ivan.

"Well, maybe," said Garet awkwardly. "I mean, if Hammet has indeed been captured and you want to rescue him-…"

"No, you shouldn't feel obliged to help me," said Ivan firmly. "You've already helped me recover the rod, I can't impose anything else on you. And besides, don't you have some kind of pressing engagement?"

"What? How did you know!?" exclaimed Garet.

Ivan smiled; "I read your minds, remember? Something of great importance was always at the back of them. And besides, how much good can a servant do?"

"Ivan, you're not just a servant," said Isaac firmly, not enjoying seeing Ivan so depressed about the likely fate of his master "You're a servant to the wind, if a servant at all."

"Huh?"

"You're a Jupiter Adept aren't you?"

"A what?"

"Isaac, slow down!" came a voice. Flint suddenly appeared out of thin air, separating himself from Isaac. Ivan recoiled in surprise as Isaac turned to face Flint; "Flint, don't scare him like that."

"Well _excuse _me. Maybe if you hadn't waited nearly an hour to introduce me to your new friend he wouldn't have been taken aback." He turned to face Ivan; "Name's Flint by the way. I'm a Venus djinn."

"Um…ok," said Ivan slowly. It was true that he was more of a listener than a talker, but that didn't automatically give him the ability to make sense of such a nonsensical conversation.

Isaac sighed; "Let's start from the beginning."

**XXXX**

The mayor made good on his offer of a celebratory dinner and was more than happy to provide for Isaac and Garet also. The innkeeper was still being questioned and even if she'd been in the inn, chances were that they weren't going to get their money's worth in therms of cuisine. This was in addition to giving them the promised reward, which turned out to be seventy-five gold coins-nearly as much as what an entire village provided. In the face of such hospitality they were loathe to accept it but knew that there was no guarantee that they'd be able to gain anymore on the rest of the journey.

The food was excellent but the main highlight of the evening was the conversation that they had with Ivan. There are some things that you can only do as friends and fighting a trio of sadistic thieves together is one of them. As such, Isaac, Garet and even Flint (although much of what he said was self promotion) told him everything-the truth of the eruption, the nature of their task, the nature of adepts, alchemy and psyenergy and how he was an adept of the element of wind…Isaac's early assumption that Ivan was more of a listener than talker proved to be well founded, seeing how he listened with intense interest throughout the entire duration.

It was only past midnight that the time for goodbyes came, not wanting to waste candles as the mayor and his wife had already gone to bed. Ivan saw them off at the doorway;

"Well, guess this is it," said Garet. "Till next time."

"If there is one," pointed out Flint.

Ivan smiled; "Perhaps. But regardless, my gratitude to you two-…"

"Excuse me!" shouted Flint.

Ivan sighed; "Three, will remain the same." Isaac gave a nod in response as way of final parting. With that, the three headed down back to the inn.

Ivan watched them go, savouring a faint breeze blowing northward. All that they'd told him, about what they had to do, about himself… It felt so…fulfilling, somehow. Like he had a greater understanding of the world and his very being. It felt good, to say the least.

But he was still a loyal servant and as such, he would travel to Lunpa. Such a journey would start tomorrow however, the events of the day had left him exhausted. With a sigh of contentment he turned, began walking back inside…

And stopped. He turned around and felt the air rush over him. His eyes narrowed, there was no mistaking it;

Something foul was on the wind.

**North Angaran Plains**

Night. The time where the world slept and Nalu was most wide awake. Perhaps it came from living with little light for most of his life but there was something more to it. The sun was easy to see, its distance from Weyard measured by astronomers long ago. There was also the fact that the cursed god Sol resided inside it. Nalu shuddered at the thought.

The stars were different. They represented the unknown, something to aspire to, the driving force of curiosity and wonder present in every human being. If the stars were watching down on him, he welcomed it.

As such, he strode across the plains without effort, continuing his journey eastward as dictated. At least, that was the case until the wind picked up, a familiar voice heard on its breath.

Instantly he faced southward and knelt, driving his sword down into the ground in front of him. Closing his eyes, he could feel his master's presence reaching out to him. He established the link;

"I am here," he said in a monotone.

"**So I see,"** came the voice, full of power and wisdom. **"I must say that I'm rather** **disappointed."**

"Pardon?" Nalu was surprised; how had he erred in his duty?

"**I'd expected you to leave Vale earlier,"** continued the voice of his master. **"Instead you dally** **about with the one called Pavel."**

"Los, my lord. Pavel is a name he discarded."

"**It matters not!"** Nalu resisted the urge to fall back in fright. He'd experienced his master's anger before; always justified of course, but never pleasant.

"**You indeed performed the soul search on Thomas and Pavel,"** his master continued. **"Despite the difficulties that the psy metal gave you. However, your interaction with the later was…unexpected. Given the suspicion he has placed on you and the fact that you told him to Imil, your task may be hindered."**

"Master, we all possess the power of foresight. You know the choice that Los will have to make eventually. Best that he goes down the one that will not lead to self destruction. Sending him to Imil may avert such a…wait, why would he going to Imil affect me? Am I not to head to Bilbin and then east?"

Although silent, his master conveyed the image of a grin; **"Circumstances have changed. The breaking of the seal provided insight into what could be the key to overcoming the final obstacle between the world's current state and its salvation."**

"Have you decided to act upon it?" Nalu had been waiting for such an answer; if the seal on alchemy was broken…

"**Yes. See to it that Mercury Lighthouse is lit and you are there to see it."**

"Pardon!?" exclaimed Nalu. "You WANT part of the final seal to be broken!? What of the Old-…"

"**Yes, I do,"** his master snarled.** "If my hunch is correct, alchemy may be the final component of the fulfilment of our task. Get to the lighthouse and watch the lighting. Afterwards, report back to me."**

Nalu was silent for a few moments. So many unknown factors, so many risks. But the rewards involved…and when had his master gone wrong before. Eventually he spoke;

"Thy will be done."

**A/N**

_Hmm, maybe making the last two chapters relatively short was a good idea given the length of this one. Enjoy it while you can though. I'm leaving within a few days for the usual overseas Christmas for half a month (ugh, four years in a row). I may have access to a computer, maybe not. So don't be surprised if there's a long period of hiatus._

_Yes, I changed the backstory of the thieves slightly. Seriously, how would they or anyone in Vault know of Hammet's capture so quickly unless a matter of days pass between Isaac and Garet arrieving in Vault and the thieves being caught? Neither option makes much sense. And while the attic is a good hiding place, how would they gain access? The inkeeper maybe? Hence I raised the issue, although it's hardly major._

_Till next time, whenever that may be._

_Oh, and as you may be abel to tell with the Nalu scene, the whole 'sidestory' aspect of this fic is about to return. Celebrate, mourn or remain indifferent I guess_


	21. Rage of Jupiter

**Golden Sun: The Broken Seal**

**Chapter 20: Rage of Jupiter**

Several days of trudging northwards towards Lunpa had given Ivan insight into a number of unpleasant facts; winter was coming, he and the sun didn't mix well and sitting in a caravan whenever he accompanied Master Hammet on one of his trading runs hadn't done anything for his general state of fitness.

It was only on the morning of the second day that these facts had become apparent. Having fallen asleep amongst the grass, Ivan had woken up to see flakes of snow falling from the sky, a sure sign that winter was on the move. Odd that winter's herald had arrived so early but Ivan had no time to ponder such a question due to a far more pressing fact;

Every area of exposed skin hurt. _A lot._

Thus, Ivan had been exposed to the agony that was sunburn. Having resided in or around Hammet's palace in Kalay for most of his life and doing the same concerning caravans when outside the city, Ivan had received very little of Sol's blessings and looked the part, given his extremely pale complexion. Well, if these said blessings included scarlet peeling skin that felt as if it was on fire, Ivan could do without them.

And to top it off, Ivan found that he could barely walk. When it came to using his actual legs for travel, it tended to be in the form of walking down hallways or at the very most walking through the streets of Kalay. His body was unused to him walking from dawn to dusk and it had come back to haunt him. On the second day of travelling to Lunpa, the servant had literally collapsed every few hundred metres, snowflakes settling on his back every time, a cold wind blowing all the while.

To his credit, Ivan had struggled onwards. Still, pain was pain and cold was cold so he sought ways to lessen it. Staring at the scenery had provided him with some distraction initially, given the amount of geological features there were. To his east were the Pyren Mountains, a short offshoot from the Goma Range. They were shorter in height also, being young geologically, so young that that technically it wasn't a complete range, Graystone Forest cutting through it, providing easy, if slightly unsettling passage through the offshoot.

To his west was another range, the eastern fork of the West Edge Mountains, so named as they were considered to be the western edge of Angara, given how they were virtually impassable, the only crossing being Imil Cave far to the north, which gave way to the Imilian Snowfields. The southern portions of the range were much more difficult to transgress and although it was known that there were fertile lands on their western side which gave way to the Great Western Sea, they were largely unexplored and the source of much superstition and folklore, perhaps the most common one being the rumour of the existence of Loho; a city of dwarfs who dwelt in an underground city carved into the Karaz Range, a western offshoot from the West Edge Mountains. Ivan had grown beyond such fairy stories long ago but still liked the idea; finding people shorter than he was would aid his self esteem.

Ivan had enjoyed glances at this range and the occasional glimpses he had of the Rasoul River that ran from the base of the eastern fork, but it was the Goma Range that really took his interest. Stretching from the south-west of Kolima and leading into the West Edge Mountains and nearly as tall as them, they were truly a magnificent sight, even more so now that snow was accumulating rapidly at their peeks. Ivan kicked himself mentally for not truly looking at them before now, often just sitting at the back of a wagon serving Master Hammet or simply losing himself in thought.

Goma Range…wasn't that where Isaac and Garet were headed, namely the crossing in its eastern half that would take them straight to Bilbin? Whenever Ivan used the Goma Range as a distraction, his mind would almost always turn to the two boys that he'd met in Vault.

Ivan could hardly blame himself for this. After all, in the space of a few hours he'd met two people that he could consider friends that weren't fellow servants and gained insight into the nature of his powers and the history of the world, presented with truths that the servant never would have considered possible. And he certainly wouldn't have succeeded in retrieving his master's staff if not for their aid. There were some things that you could only do as friends and fighting murderous thieves together was one of them, at least in Ivan's mind.

But it wasn't just Isaac and Garet that Ivan was thinking about; their circumstances were just as pressing also. It had been enough of a shock, albeit a pleasant one for Ivan to find out that there were other people in the world who possessed mysterious powers, namely psyenergy that stemmed off alchemy, the source of which were four orbs called the Elemental Stars. It had been even more of a shock and not pleasant at all to learn that there were adepts even more powerful than they were, trying to release alchemy for their own selfish purposes, even risking the destruction of the world for it.

And it was these people that Isaac and Garet were going after. Isaac hadn't seemed too optimistic as to their chances of success and although Garet had appeared confident, Ivan guessed that optimism rather than down to earth realism was his way of dealing with unpleasant circumstances. After all, not only did they have to face adepts much more powerful in both martial prowess and psyenergy, but one of them was their former friend, named Felix apparently. Although Isaac had seemed reluctant to speak ill of him, Garet had no reluctance to do so, pointing out how he'd kidnapped their other friend Jenna, along with their teacher Kraden. Come to think of it, Garet seemed to bring up Jenna's kidnapping in his account of events far more than Kraden's but it may have been Ivan's imagination. It had been a long night after all.

"_And what am I doing?"_ thought Ivan bitterly, his face's temperature increasing in heat not just due to the sunburn. _"Travelling north to the city of thieves to rescue my master_ _from an impregnable fortress when he might not have been captured at all."_

"_But surely that's the right thing to do,"_ came another thought stream. _"Hammet's your_ _master and has been like a father to you as long as you can remember. Family comes before friends, does it not?"_

Ivan had to agree but only partially; after all, with the future of the world at stake a kidnapped tradesman was pretty insignificant in the greater scheme of things. Was he really looking at his circumstances correctly?

"_Of course you are,"_ came his conscience. _"The world being threatened by a force you_ _didn't even know existed until two strangers told you about it? Surely an exaggeration. And what proof did they have to offer?"_

"_But what proof is there that Hammet was indeed captured?"_ Ivan shot back.

"_Hammet is your master. With the possibility of his capture, is proof truly required? And even if what your 'friends' said was true, how could you possibly aid them?"_

It was a valid question and Ivan remained silent because of it. What indeed could he do to aid them? True, his ability to read minds had proven useful in Vault but what was the point of reading the minds of megalomaniacs? Weren't their intentions already clear? Yes, he could manipulate the wind to an extent but while that had proven useful against the thieves, there was no guarantee that it would be as effective against fellow adepts. And as for swordsplay…Ivan decided not to dwell on that. He still remembered where he'd received bruises from Kalayan soldiers that had agreed to duel him in his younger years. Ivan may have continued to ponder on what was truly the right course of action for hours more if not for one pressing fact that drew him back to the here and now;

Lunpa was in sight. Ivan sighed, his right hand tightening around his master's staff, named the Shaman's Rod. Ivan didn't bother to question why, he was just glad for the odd feeling of comfort that it brought him. He'd need such comfort, as he knew that there was no turning back now. _"I've made my choice and I have to stick with it," _he reasoned.

But the question as whether such a choice was for better or worse continued to weigh down on him.

**XXXX**

Captain Suldan had a boring life.

Such a fact was hardly that surprising really. After all, when your life revolved around standing outside the gate to the world's most impregnable fortress, you didn't tend to hear or see much. No citizen of Lunpa passed through the gates as Dodonpa had ordered that they be confined within the city, the amount of guards along its stone walls due to such an order far more than any outside threat.

The Righteous Thief Lunpa had chosen his stronghold well. Initially he and his band of thieves had chosen a cave system within the Goma Range as their base of operations, no more than a hideout. That had been in the year 2891 and had acted as a beacon of hope to the destitute that Lunpa sought to aid through what he called "honest thievery"; something about stealing from the rich and giving to the poor and wielding a bow of his design of fancy as he did it.

Within five years the amount of people having flocked to Lunpa's banner had grown to such proportions that the mountain fortress couldn't accommodate them all, hence the founding of a town that bore his name.

But that was a long time ago and things were different now. Lunpa's son, Donpa, had been much loved by the citizenry but he lacked his father's leadership abilities. Having lost both his parents at an early age, his fathership abilities were lacking also, allowing his adopted son Dodonpa to take power twenty-five years ago.

Within those twenty-five years, Lunpa had changed dramatically. Its walls still bore watchtowers flying Lunpa's banner (a red flag with a longbow aimed at the upper right, a knife in its nook instead of an arrow) and its soldiers still bore crossbows and spears but a feeling of menace accompanied them. Maybe it was because of the fact that they served a vicious man without morals. Maybe it was due to the fact that pikes had been welded into the stone surface pointing upwards and outwards, half of which featured human heads on them in various states of decomposition.

Of course, that was Suldan had heard, as he'd been born only a year after Dodonpa had taken power and the supposed transgression was incredibly swift. Therefore, he'd become used to these things and didn't expect to see or hear anything out of the ordinary, nor have to deal with it. Given that he was a guard of the gates of a city that kept its people within its walls and had never experienced a siege, why would he have to? The only people that exited the city were groups of the numerous brigands that Dodonpa employed, ranging from petty thieves to hardened brigands, all with malicious and hungry looks evident in their visages.

For the most part, these people were the only ones that came back in, the only difference that they were often talking avidly, usually comparing tallies of how much gold they'd stolen, how many throats they'd cut and how many women they'd raped. Occasionally they'd be bringing a captured individual in with them, prompting Suldan to take heed of their appearance, if only out of respectful curiosity. After all, such people rarely came back out. It was-…

"Um, excuse me."

Suldan instantly snapped to attention and grabbed his spear that had been lying against Lunpa's wooden gate. Far more than his younger subordinate was doing, one of the many that had his duties rotated. He'd never got round to asking the teen's name and doubted whether he'd get an answer, considering that he spent almost all of his time smoking stolen opium from Xian. The guards on the town's walls were no better and it came as no surprise that none of them had informed him of the boy's approach. Suldan was used to this, knowing that many of the watchmen looked down towards the town, whistling at any female that took their fancy and using their elevation to their advantage when it came to looking for cleavage. "A useless bunch of hicks," was the phrase that Suldan often used to describe them.

Increasing his frustration even further was the fact that he'd wasted a large deal of adrenaline over nothing. All that stood in front of him was a small boy, with rather expensive looking clothing, an ornate stave in one hand and a face the colour of beetroot. Obviously his complexion didn't agree with the sun, which increased Suldan's puzzlement; what was such a boy doing here of all places? Either he was incredibly reckless in travelling so close to Lunpa alone or incredibly stupid.

"Yes, can I help you?" asked Suldan stiffly.

"Um, yes," said the boy timidly. "I…was wondering if you could grant me entry to Lunpa."

"Huh? And why would you want that?" Suldan decided to go with the "incredibly stupid" explanation.

The boy shrugged; "I heard news of an ambush of travellers while travelling through these parts. I wondered if Dodonpa might know anything about it." He smiled faintly; "Natural curiosity really."

"What the hell?" wondered Suldan. "Is he referring to our capture of Hammet? Perhaps…no, surely not. Kalay couldn't have received word already. I mean…wait, what's that kid doing? Gone into limbo or something?"

Ivan immediately snapped his eyes open at the soldier's last remark, not wanting to arouse more suspicion than he already no doubt was. Even from a distance he could see that Lunpa lived up to its reputation to being impregnable, with its natural stone walls with guard towers spread along them, along with a heavily fortified gate.

So therefore, he'd utilised the same trick as he had in Vault, steering the conversation to his benefit and then reading the soldier's mind. So far, the plan had worked out well in that he knew where his master was and that he was probably still alive. However, that was where the plan hit a snag; the chances of being let in were extremely remote and getting back out with his master were even less.

To make matters worse, the spear wielding soldier wasn't the only ones whose suspicions he'd arisen. The other guard at the gate's base was too engrossed in smoking himself to oblivion to register his presence but the same didn't hold true for the crossbowmen at the top of the gate, namely crossbowmen that were ill disciplined and eager to use their weapons.

"Hey capie, what ya got down there?" yelled one of the guards.

Suldan turned to look up and glare at them, Ivan forgotten for the moment; "That's _captain_ Suldan you bunch of-…"

"Hey I see what he's got, some pint sized midget!"

"Where? I can't see him."

Laughter rippled through the soldiers at the mediocre joke. They could indeed see Ivan but were barely paying attention to him. If they had, they might have seen that his complexion was turning a different shade of red, namely that of rage.

Ivan had no doubts that the evident depravity on Lunpa's outer walls was just the edge of the icing on a putrid cake of decadence. The ill disciplined soldiers, the pikes with the heads of their victims…Unease and a sickened feeling in his stomach had given way to pure anger. Hammet may have been kept alive but Ivan still had no idea as to the fate of the rest of the caravan. Somehow, he didn't want to know.

And to top it off, he couldn't do anything about it.

"Tell you what, why don't we turn him into a porcupine?"

"Sounds good."

The sound of crossbow bolts being drawn back returned Ivan to the here and now, along with Suldan's protests;

"He's just a child! Stand down or-…"

"Aw, go shove your spear up your arse capie," the retort coming from what looked like the leader of the crossbowmen, conveyed by the fact that he was smellier, uglier and more vicious than the rest of them.

"Ten gold coins to whoever gets a bolt in his gut!" A chorus of cheers erupted drowning out Suldan's orders to stand down and the group opened fire, all aimed at Ivan…

Only to have the bolts start spinning around in circles, caught in some kind of tornado, namely one that dissipated as soon as the bolts had been hurled in all directions apart from their intended target. An eerie silence descended upon the gate area, only broken by Ivan;

"Trying raising the stakes," he hissed. "Maybe you'll have better luck."

The soldiers had no compunction against following his advice and opened fire with even more vigour. Their rate of success didn't rise however, bolts flying in all directions. Suldan had ceased to berate them and was instead staring in awe. Even the opium smoking guard had been raised out of his stupor, staring at Ivan with bleary eyes.

It was only after the fifth volley of shots that the crossbowmen realised that they were fighting a losing battle, or at least one that was going to remain in stalemate indefinitely unless a change of tactics was implemented. Such a change did occur, namely the various exclamations that the guards unleashed, only half of them directed at Ivan;

"What the hell is going on!?"

"He's a freak!"

"You little bastard! Go slink back to whatever cave you crawled out from!"

"Guys, you're wasting your time," Ivan said calmly, yet emanating more rage than he'd ever done so. Well, technically that didn't take much. He'd only felt true anger once before and that was when facing the thieves at Vault.

Such emotions were completely against Ivan's usually calm, almost mystic demur but after being confronted by what Lunpa had to offer, he felt no compunction against letting rage from overtaking him. Not only had these men been part of a process of corruption that had turned a city of chivalry into one of depravity but they'd kidnapped his master for their own purposes and no doubt given final judgement to the rest of the caravan. Righteous rage and punishment was clearly well deserved.

"Alright then you blonde devil. If we can't impale you we'll skewer you!"

The shout drew Ivan back to his senses, not because of the shout itself, merely the latest in a series of many that Ivan had glossed over as he let his rage wash over him, but merely because of how odd a statement was. Yes, technically there was a difference between being impaled and skewered in terms of weaponry, impaled being the term used when something was stuck in you (eg a sword) while being skewered having something stuck through you (eg a pike) but given the minute level of difference between the two it was hardly worth bringing up. And they certainly weren't going to achieve such a difference with crossbow bolts.

It was only at the last second that Ivan realised that the crossbow was no longer their weapon of choice. As a servant and a short one at that, Ivan was used to not being noticed and had therefore subconsciously assumed that his little escapade would only be noticed by those in his immediate proximity. His circumstances now made it abundantly clear that this wasn't the case, with almost every guardsman in sight staring at him and a pair running up a watchtower to… _"Oh no…"_

A ballista, namely one that could be fired on a moment's notice.

Ivan knew that he was as good as dead. His mastery over the wind may have been able to send crossbow bolts off target but given the amount of force behind the launching of a ballista bolt along with its greater weight and speed, Ivan had no delusions that his psyenergy was strong enough to alter its course. Sure enough, he was going to be skewered. Even if by some incredibly unlikely chance he was able to dodge the bolt it would probably hit the ground with such force that he'd be sent sprawling by the shockwave, at the mercy of soldiers who probably still had the intent of turning him into a human porcupine.

True to the traditional course of events when faced with your own demise, a side effect of the brain speeding up the processing of visual images in order to give its organism a better chance of survival, the next few seconds were the longest that Ivan had ever felt in his life;

One of the soldiers raised his hand while yelling something that Ivan couldn't hear clearly, although his murderous intent was evident, just like all of the other soldiers on the walls.

Ivan raised his right arm and stretched it out towards the ballista, the Shaman's Rod sticking out as a consequence. To the soldiers it might have been interpreted as a plea for mercy, unaware of the fact that Ivan intended to channel all his psyenergy into the largest whirlwind he could muster. He didn't know if he could do such a thing and was even less sure whether any whirlwind he summoned could alter the trajectory of a war machine, but despite all that had happened in recent times, Ivan had yet to reach a state of fatalism. The soldier's fist came down, aimed for the lever that would release two hundred pounds worth of wood and metal.

And that's what would have happened if it wasn't for a ray of purple lightning shooting out from the Shaman's Rod, namely between the **U** shape at the tip of it. It struck the watchtower with such force that it sent the soldiers on it flying back down into the city screaming, doomed to suffer a few broken bones and perhaps a few scars from the bolt of energy at the very least. Shards of wood, namely pieces of the ballista and upper watchtower went flying everywhere. Ivan registered these facts in his mind but was barely aware of them, considering how exhausted he suddenly was and the pressing question of what the hell had just happened.

It was obvious that he hadn't cast a strong wind, though little else was certain. Had the ray come from the staff itself? Perhaps, but that didn't explain why he felt drained of energy, or perhaps psyenergy to be specific. Perhaps he'd channelled his power through the staff as if it was some kind of amplifier of psyenergy? The fact that it was called the Shaman's Rod, did indeed lend credence to that, given how shaman's themselves were said to have mystic powers and inner links to the natural world.

Under normal circumstances Ivan would have pondered over such an mystery for as long as he pleased, but due to the pressing issues of the onset of a splitting headache and that he could hear and see the guards on the walls blowing horns, presumably to summon reinforcements, he reasoned that doing so would not be a prudent venture. Instead, he had to make a decision on his next course of action; fight in the name of his master and inevitably succumb to numbers and exhaustion or flee for his life and abandon all the concept of loyalty and live in shame?

The choice he made was close to the first option, seeing that guard whose mind had read was staring at him towards him, the only one doing so. His companion was still out of this world and all the soldiers on the walls were either blowing horns or seeing to the soldier that had been on the watchtower. Given how he was clutching his spear, he looked ready for a fight. Ivan raised his master's staff and got into what he hoped was a fighting stance, knowing that he'd be wasting his time if he tried to use psyenergy.

"Put your stick down and get out of here," the man said simply, his face unusually neutral for someone who was clutching his spear so tightly.

"Wh…what?" Ivan stammered. "Why?"

"I have my reasons. Go, I'll try and keep them occupied."

Ivan refused to move. _"The man probably just wants me to turn around so he can get satisfaction from stabbing me from behind."_

"What are you waiting for?" Suldan hissed, growing desperate. "I can't stall forever and with that ridiculous stance you're in you're not going to last long in a fight!"

Ivan gingerly took a step back; he didn't exactly trust this man, but from the way he was acting, he didn't seem to warrant the same level of hatred that Ivan felt towards the rest of Dodonpa's men, including the one that fired a crossbow bolt at the Jupiter Adept's feet, one of many who were running back onto the walls. Ivan sighed; he wasn't going to do his master any good by dying and adding yet another head to Lunpa's grizzly exterior.

So despite every voice of his conscience yelling at him to stand his ground, as painful as a decision was, Ivan ran, his ears burning not only from the sun.

**A/N**

_Ok, this was a long time coming, fillerish and probably featured an OOC Ivan. Well, there's mainly three reasons for this;_

_1: Overseas holidays don't leave much time for writing_

_2: A lot of running around on the world map of GS1 and map reading was involved in getting an understanding of the geography._

_3: Editing, editing and more editing._

_Potentially this could have been posted awhile ago but numerous excerpts ended up on the cutting room floor. Hence a lot of backtracking was involved;_

_-Originally this was going to be chapter 21, with chapter 20 being a cryptic scene like chapter 1, involving Isaac and Vani, at least in his dreams. However, cryptic scenes probably irritate more people than they please and I think that we can all agree that chapter 1 was crap, I decided not to let it see the light of day._

_Still, some ideas remained, resulting in the oneshot 'Golden Dreams', kind of a chapter 19.5 although rather different from the original conception. Check it out if you want._

_-A scene with Los was going to be at the end of this chapter but I instead ported it to the start of the next. The next chapter will probably be rather short and I had to scale down the scene even further-too much reminiscing on Kite. Still, once again, the ideas remain. I may do a LosxKite oneshot, maybe not. Oneshots off a specific work are rarely a good idea, but since it's basically written…oh well. Maybe._

_-A scene with Isaac and Garet was cut out, just monster fighting really which would probably feel…strange, given the context of Ivan's escapades at Lunpa. The events will be referenced but that's all._

_-Ivan's fight at the gate was scaled down, believe it or not. He may be a whiz with psyenergy but still isn't that good with a staff, and holding his own at close quarters would hardly be realistic at this point in time._

_And yes, I changed how the 'Ray' spell works, making it horizontal rather than vertical. Sue me._

_Ok, I've rambled on enough. Review if you so desire._


	22. Something Worth Fighting For

**Golden Sun: The Broken Seal**

**Chapter 21: Something Worth Fighting For**

The sun had moved westwards, bringing sunset to the Angaran Plains and allowing them to become one step closer to twilight. Faint light glowed against the slopes of the Pyren Mountains, reflecting off the snow at their peaks. Less noticeable and majestic but still worthy of mention was Graystone Forest, the faint rays of the sun filtering through the autumn leaves and twinkling off the snow that had accumulated on them, almost as if it was a sign of eternal life, life that not even winter's onset could destroy. Although there were far more majestic and well known natural wonders in the world, such a fact did not take away from the visual splendour.

So it was therefore a small tragedy that few people, if any, were ever there to see it. If people were travelling north-east from Vault they were almost certainly heading for Goma Pass, the only adequate route across the mountains, the others having fallen into disrepair long ago. Such travellers would almost always take the route on the eastern side of the Pyren Mountains rather than heading directly north and then passing through Graystone Forest. Not only would such an action bring a traveller closer to Lunpa than most would care for but travelling through a forest was rarely an appealing prospect. True, it may have been nice to get back to nature and perhaps childhood, looking for pixies under mushrooms and the like but there was still the unfortunate fact that forests were often the refuge of creatures such as wolves and vermin. Desperate criminals were yet another peril that one would have to consider.

Despite such circumstances. Los had taken the northern route. True, he was aware of the risks but preferred the solitude that such a route brought. He knew from firsthand experience that almost all travellers seemed compelled to band together when heading down the same road, expecting to become buddies at the end of it, either through trials and tribulations that they'd almost certainly recall and exaggerate later or through an act as simple as sitting around a fire and telling tales about themselves that were either hopelessly mundane, with their companions listening only out of politeness, or blown out of all proportion.

So therefore, Los was perfectly happy to freeze his arse off by himself, sitting by the small fire he'd started on the edge of Graystone Forest, using firewood from the trees on its edge. Not exactly of the best quality but getting better wood would mean venturing further in and as confident as Los was in his martial prowess, he'd still wait for dawn before heading through.

"_I'm still freezing though," he thought, shivering to himself. "But it could be worse; I could have travelling hicks pestering me with their life stories."_ He shuddered at the thought of having such people trying to become friends with him. _"Not sure whether I'm in the argument for new friends. Can't say I'm too happy with the current crop." _If he'd said these words out aloud and someone had been present, one might have assumed that there was some kind of tragic back-story towards such a reluctance to associate with others but no such thing existed, much to Los's silent relief, knowing that such simpletons were suckers for stories of tragedy. Rather, it was merely a preference of quality over quantity.

But still, he had to admit, such quality seemed to have been significantly diminished in recent times. True, he and Sara had become increasingly close in recent times but not so close that he could say with absolute certainty that she would wait for patiently for his return, loyal to the end. It was further testament to the poor state of his love life that the only other female that Los would have called a friend would be Kite, despite the fact that they'd both nearly killed each other.

"_Of course," _said a voice at the back of his head. _"You didn't really come close to actually harming her did you? Don't flatter yourself, arrogance isn't something you want to embrace."_

"_Does it matter?" _the other side ofLos's consciousness shot back. _"She was still cut down anyway."_ The first voice didn't return, perhaps caught up in the reminiscence of the second.

Los sighed; he missed the perky djinn, despite the fact that in times gone past she'd aided the adept that the Rouge Sages despised above all others. Would she have helped him to prevent the release of alchemy, perhaps giving him a chance against Saturos and Menardi? It was impossible to tell and besides, she surely would have preferred to join an actual adept, even if Isaac and Garet weren't actually of the element of wind. And given that he'd used her death as a means to drive Isaac and Garet forward for vengeance, knowing full well that in all likelihood that The Five were almost certainly involved, he doubted whether he deserved such a blessing.

And what of Isaac and Garet themselves? Los couldn't help but wonder how they were doing, if only because they had his map. Turning away from the fire he looked towards the north-eastern section of the Goma Range, visible due to its considerable height and the relative shortness of its southern offshoot. Since the bridge south of Vault was apparently destroyed, the teens would have had no choice but to head in that direction, along with those that they pursued…

_Saturos and Menardi._

Did the pair have a chance against such individuals? Obviously they and their friends were relatively proficient in psyenergy considering that they'd gained the attention of the Rouge Sages, although it was only the female Mars Adept that gained the benefit of 'treatment', namely why Hans had to make a trip to Vale on a regular basis. Such a thing hadn't been done in living memory.

But no matter how powerful the boys may have been, it was pretty much a given that the Proxians were superior to them in both psyenergy and martial prowess. And considering that they were outnumbered two to one, one of the other two being an individual being Alex which Los had no doubt was as depraved as his comrades and the other being the boys' former friend Felix, an individual that not only caught the attention of the Rouge Sages but by all rights should have been dead, circumstances certainly didn't look too rosy. Los shook his head; _"I'm getting too soft,"_ he thought. _"Why should I care what happens to them?"_

Callous words and the bleeding section of his heart knew it. However, the rational part of his mind stemmed it; history was against Los becoming acquainted with such people. He doubted that Isaac and Garet knew the truth of the full story behind the sealing of alchemy but even if they did, would they truly be willing to follow the same path as he did? Los somehow doubted it. A shame really, such a possibility made even more unlikely by their evident suspicion of him back in Vale, especially when he told them not to actually kill Saturos and Menardi, failing to state that he wanted such an honour himself. Of course, the chances of that actually happening were slim and Los knew it; either the boys would be killed or their foes were. The chances of it happening in between were next to nothing.

"_Still, it could work," _he thought to himself. _"Isaac and Garet get themselves killed and weaken Saturos and Menardi to an extent that I can finish them off myself, thus solving both sets of problems and avenging dad."_

And yet…

Of course, such desire for revenge may have been misplaced, Nalu's words continually hanging over him. His account of events differing radically from that of Marcel, claiming that the djinn, Kite included, were manipulative demons at heart, telling him to travel north to Imil and learn the truth…

Los wasn't sure what to believe. True, Marcel was a prat and Los had often toyed half heartedly with arranging some kind of "unfortunate accident" but Nalu hardly seemed any more trustworthy. Yet he had shown knowledge that by no rights he should have possessed, Los's real name being among them. Could he indeed have spoken other truths, his account of events being the true one? And what of the djinn? Los shuddered, considering Kite's species. Could she have…no, he would not, he _could not_ believe such things.

And travelling north to Imil to learn the supposed truth!? Nalu had conveniently failed to tell him exactly how he was to do that, as to whether the 'truth' was there waiting for him or whether circumstances would ensure he would learn it himself. Supposing in the unlikely possibility Nalu had been telling the truth himself, Los wasn't sure what the greatest mystery was-what such a truth was doing in a town like Imil or how Nalu could foresee such events.

Los rubbed his eyes and the rest of his face; _"If Nalu's ultimate goal was to drive me insane then he's pretty much succeeded," _he thought to himself. _"All this fresh air doesn't help either." _He sighed deeply; _"I've had enough of mysteries." _

Sunset had progressed even further and knowing that remaining in the waking world would inevitably feature more ponderings concerning subjects that he wanted to avoid, Los considered turning in. Before he could carry out the idea however, a series of yells were heard, obviously ones stemming from hate and rage. Instantly snapping to a state of full awareness, his right hand darting to the hilt of one of his shortswords, Los looked around for the source. A quick sweep of the plains revealed only two possible sources.

The first possible source was only possible to the slightest degree; a small boy walking, no, trudging, along the plains. A tuff of blonde hair at the top of a rather short body, his clothing indicating that he hailed from, or at least was acquainted with high places and those who dwelt in them. To top it off, he carried an oddly shaped staff that was probably too big for him, although not so large that it would have been completely useless in a fight.

More questions surged through Los's mind, namely a mind that had already had its fair share of a lack of answers for one evening; why was the boy here of all places, near Dodonpa's territory and seemingly unescorted? A survivor from one of Dodonpa's raids? Perhaps, but Dodonpa rarely made any distinction between gender or age. Why would a child be able to escape and others not? And what would such a party be doing anywhere near Lunpa anyway?

Regardless of the boy's mysterious origins and circumstances, Los could be sure of one thing- he wasn't the source of the yells of rage. Such a source belonged to the three horsemen that were bearing down on him, one bearing Lunpa's banner, the dagger armed longbow evident for the world to see. _"Odd," _thought Los. _"Dodonpa relies on his employed brigands to patrol his territory yet the banner indicates that they're part of his standing army."_

Los knew that it was a sad fact that the amount of criminals Dodonpa employed outnumbered his actual army many times over and for a portion of such a force to be dispatched indicated that Dodonpa had found a matter that he considered worthy of only them. But what task would that be? True, they were bearing down on the blonde child but how could such a person provoke Dodonpa's ire to such an extent as to necessitate the dispatch of regular soldiers?

Los shook his head; no matter where he went, mysteries always seemed to crop up. And to top it all off, there was one final mystery to consider;

Why the child was seemingly unaware of their presence…

**XXXX**

Ivan's face was blistering, his feet were aching, his stomach was rumbling, his hand was white from holding his master's staff too tightly and he barely noticed any of it. The servant didn't even care whether such discomforts were present or not, as his mind was fully occupied, namely in one pressing fact;

He was a failure.

He'd failed to rescue his master and had probably only made circumstances worse for him. Few would stage a one man assault on a fortified city and those few would either be extremely brave, extremely stupid or extremely suicidal, or a combination. Of course, there was the rare category of those who were truly motivated. Unfortunately, Dodonpa would probably work out that Hammet would probably be the most likely source of motivation in Ivan's mind, as the servant knew from his exploits that he'd probably made it clear that he wasn't suicidal (would have pressed his attack), wasn't brave (he'd retreated out of cowardice, at least in his mind) and much as an idiot as he was in his own mind, he doubted that that would cut it when it came to Dodonpa's likely interrogation.

There was also the slightly inconvenient fact that the interlocking triangles on his chest would be reported, which Dodonpa would recognise as belonging to Hammet's House, even if his brigands didn't.

Ivan knew at the back of his that he was subconsciously heading towards Goma Pass to either head back to Kalay via the northern route and head down the Silk Road or join Isaac and Garet, but he hoped that he'd have fallen dead upon the plains by then. Returning to Kalay in this state would have been an insult to Hammet's memory and joining Isaac and Garet would be just as much an insult to them. What was he meant to say? _"Hey guys. I couldn't rescue Hammet so I'm joining with you two instead. Not the ideal choice of course, but that's ok, right?" _Ivan shuddered at such a thought, perhaps the only sign of his conscious self taking form.

So therefore, with such a lack of alertness, he barely heard the horsemen galloping in his direction and was only fully aware of their presence when they'd closed in on him, one in front and one on each side. Ivan couldn't care less as to this turn of events. What could they do to him anyway?

What appeared to be the leader was leering directly down at him from the front, his companions no doubt doing the same from the sides. Well, at least Ivan supposed that he was the leader, in that his spear bore Lunpa's banner, his sabre was more serrated and the man was uglier than the other two.

"So," the man said slowly, his tone like that of a beast which has its prey cornered and wants to make it clear that it's going to chew through to the marrow as the animal bleeds to death. "This is the little shrimp that caused such trouble at the gate." He leered down, showing teeth that even surpassed the thieves that Ivan had faced in Vault in terms of decay and repulsiveness. "Hardly worthy of our time and effort, wouldn't you say?"

"What's your purpose for being here?" asked Ivan simply, although he already knew the answer and wished that they'd get on for it.

"Oh I think you know," said one of the riders aerially. "Don't tell me you're _that _clueless."

Ivan nodded; "I know full well what you intend to do and I'll save you the effort in having to explain that you simply intend to kill me due to Dodonpa being enraged to what I did to his town." The servant's eyes narrowed, remembering the features of such an example of civilisation; "Of course, 'town' is hardly the word I'd use."

Although Ivan was past caring about his own fate, he saw no harm in chiding the soldiers before he ended with a whimper, knowing that going out with a bang was an honour he was not worthy of. It seemed to work, given that the horsemen either side of him growled and pressed in even further but their leader stopped them;

"You're correct in a sense," the head rider said to Ivan. "Yet only partially."

"Pardon?" asked Ivan.

True, we were sent to kill you but given how little action we get, Dodonpa told us to have fun while we were at it." The grin returned, Ivan guessing that it was only the decayed, shark like teeth that were keeping back a wave of repulsive breath. "And let's not forget his third set of orders, which were to bring your body back to Lunpa."

"What, you're actually going to give someone a decent burial instead of leaving their body to rot?" Ivan sneered, his disgust at those in Dodonpa's service outweighing his own self-loathing at letting down his master.

"Oh hell no!" chuckled one of the other soldiers. "Nah, Dodonpa has decided that his current battle standard is losing its touch, you know, hanging skulls can only go so far and have probably lost their originality."

"Therefore-…" said the other horseman. "He's decided that an… 'upgrade' is needed." He leered down at Ivan, rivalling his commanding officer in terms of the depravity he conveyed. "The corpse of a child should prove to be a worthy innovation, don't you think?"

Ivan nodded; "Yeah, pretty much. It'll surprise everyone who thought that Lunpa could sink no lower."

To his satisfaction, Ivan knew that he'd truly struck the men's nerves and perhaps severed a few while he'd been at it. Such was the impression conveyed by the fact that the two soldiers to his right were yelling something incomprehensible while their leader let out a roar and held his spear high, ready to get on with the job he'd been tasked with. Ivan closed his eyes and waited for death to take him, a very welcome prospect.

The next thing Ivan heard was a scream of pain, which he supposed was his own due to the spear being rammed through him. However, something was wrong. The scream certainly didn't sound like one he would make, it was much…blunter. He opened his eyes, glancing down to his chest as he did so. No steady trickle of blood, no embedded weapon…something had gone wrong and Ivan soon realised what; the leader of the trio had fallen off his horse, having dropped his spear as he did so. Exactly how this was the case Ivan didn't know but the shortsword that was sticking through his right shoulder must have had something to do with it.

"Touch the boy," growled a voice. "And you die next."

All eyes turned to the source and quickly found it; a man was working towards them, presumably a traveller given his teal travelling cloak and a weatherworn tunic, leather armour fixed over it. He was holding a shortsword in his left hand which he promptly tossed to his right nonchalantly. Yet he must have had two to start with, considering that two scabbards could be seen, one on each side of his belt. Somehow, Ivan had a good idea as to where the other had gone.

"Who…who are you?" stammered one of the soldiers, failing to convey Ivan was silently asking the same question. He knew precious little about weapons of any kind but guessed that it would take a large amount of skill and strength to throw a blade with such accuracy.

"Someone just passing through," the man replied calmly, although Ivan could tell that his tone was hiding something…hatred perhaps? Certainly his light blue eyes conveyed such an emotion. "And let me guess, you three serve Dodonpa."

"That's right," said the other rider cautiously. Under normal circumstances he might have already gone on the attack but he, like many of his kind, required a leading and/or motivating force to take action, possessing little of his own initiative. Considering that such a force was lying on the ground in agony, he probably wasn't going to do anything of his own accord anytime soon.

The traveller came to a stop, standing about fifteen feet away from the riders; "I thought as much," he said calmly. "Thieves and brigands-the refuse of human existence."

"You think so huh?" growled the leader, rising to his feet, his attempts to remove the shortsword stuck through his shoulder having only partially succeeded. "That's a big statement from someone who will be dog meat in a few seconds. Get him!" His fellow riders were only too happy to oblige, both charging forward, spears ready.

Ivan's surge of regret was as swift as the horses that bore the soldiers. Supposedly his 'saviour' had stepped in to help him out of charity, not realising that death was something that would have welcomed. From what he'd seen, the man's martial prowess was impressive, but no-one could stand up to charging cavalry. He was going to die for something that didn't concern him…

Or at least that was what Ivan had assumed. One of the soldiers had surged ahead of his comrade, his spear ready to skewer the traveller, who had, for some reason, sheathed his sword. At the last second however, the man darted to the right, crouched and grabbed the neck of the horse, swinging up to the rear of the saddle. The soldier barely had time to comprehend what had happened before the man drew his sword and slitted the rider's throat, shoving the body into the grass before grabbing the horse's reins and turning it around to face the other soldier.

Although visibly shaken by the speed and ease at which his foe had dispatched his comrade, Dodonpa's servant reasoned that the same trick could not and would not work twice, perhaps the most obvious reason being that his foe was mounted and wouldn't have time to get down, not even to retrieve the spear of the other soldier.

So he therefore charged, his spear outstretched like a knight of old in jousting. He had the benefit of momentum and range, and therefore the mystery traveller had no chance of defeating him. At least, that's what the soldier thought before his foe, who had oddly enough just kept his mount in place, simply threw his second shortsword at him, impaling the man through the forehead.

Los brought his horse (technically not his but it may as well have been) to a stop, letting the other mount flee in terror, joining that of the leader, who he saw was trying to rise, having given up on taking out the shortsword embedded in him. The boy that Dodonpa's men had attacked was simply staring at him, his visage showing a strange mixture of awe, fear and oddly enough, resentment.

Thinking little of it, Los dismounted and walked towards the head goon. The boy must have thought that he was going to attack him also, given that he brought up his staff and adjusted his posture to…well, Los assumed that it was meant to be a fighting stance, but if so, was woefully adequate.

"Put that thing away," Los grunted as he passed the boy. "Or at least learn how to use it properly." He half expected the midget to utter some kind of response but, upon receiving none, turned all of his attention to the wretch that was trying to stand, also reaching for his sabre while he was at it.

"Give it up," Los said simply, kicking him back down to the ground, landing with a heavy thump and a soft crack that could have been the shortsword twisting itself even further through the shoulder blade.

"Ugh…this isn't over!" the brigand growled.

"I beg to differ," said Los, crouching down and grabbing the man's neck with his left hand. "I can point out how in numerous ways, but I'd rather not waste even more time with you curs." Ivan, who had come over, noticed that his 'saviour' was looking at the brigand with intense hatred, far more than one would expect."

"Why were you after the kid?" Los continued.

"Do…Dodonpa told us to go after him," the man growled, his face starting to go white from a combination of blood loss, trauma and simple fear. "Master's orders."

"Oh I see, yet another mindless drone of depravity," sneered Los. "Oh well, fret not. You'll be free soon enough."

"Huh? What do you-…"

What Los meant became apparent soon enough as the rider's words were cut off with a sickening crack. No words came out of him, as one would expect from someone who'd just had their neck snapped.

"You shouldn't have done that," Ivan whispered as Los turned around to face him.

"Hmm? Done what?" Los asked curiously as he pried out the first of his shortswords, proceeding to wipe the blood off.

"Everything!" shouted Ivan, causing Los's head to jerk around in surprise. "You shouldn't have helped me! You shouldn't have killed them! You should have just left me to die!"

Los stared at the boy quizzically, hiding the full extent of his surprise. It was a rather unsettling change really, how someone who he had perceived as helpless, timid and quiet was suddenly going off his rocker, not to mention perhaps hinting at suicidal tendencies.

"I failed my master," Ivan whispered, his surge of rage having expired and replaced by the same depression he'd been feeling ever since he left Lunpa. "I failed to help him and my attempt most likely only made things worse." He looked up at Los; "Don't you understand? I couldn't have cared less what those men did to me."

A period of uneasy silence followed before Los broke it; "You serve Kalay don't you?"

"What? How did you-…"

"The interlocking triangles," Los said, pointing at the symbol that occupied the centre of Ivan's tunic. "They represent discipline, loyalty and unity, which when combined together, represent strength."

"And you know this how, exactly?" Ivan asked cautiously. There was something about Los that he didn't trust, his knowledge of the workings of Hammet's house and his savage attack on the thieves only being part of the picture.

Los shrugged in response as he went to retrieve his other sword; "I…read a lot. I often come across tibits of information." He yanked it out of the soldier's forehead and proceeded to clean the blood off. "You said that you failed your master. How'd that happen?"

Ivan considered whether or not answer truthfully or answer at all for that matter, wondering whether such information could bring even more harm to Hammet. "My master was captured by Dodonpa's men. I headed to Lunpa to try and rescue him but…" Ivan trailed off. He didn't need to be reminded of the escapade at the gates. "Why do you care anyway?" he asked Los. "Why'd you even help me in the first place?"

Los had his back to Ivan as he cleaned his sword so he could only go by the sound of his voice when it came to judging his character; "I saw someone in need and helped them," he said simply, his voice neutral, although Ivan could tell that he wasn't being completely truthful.

"I see…" said Ivan slowly as Los rose to face him, subtlety using his mind read technique to try and get any hint as to what the full story was.

However, such a story eluded him as there was no thought stream. Well, perhaps there was but Ivan could tell that he was being…blocked, somehow. Something was preventing him from accessing Los's mind, although whether it was passive or an active effort was unknown to Ivan.

Of course, the more pressing question was how this was possible in the first place. Ivan had read the minds of dozens of individuals and had never encountered resistance or even knowledge of the act. Isaac and Garet were the only exceptions, being aware of it, but even they couldn't actually stop Ivan from reading their minds unless they resorted to physical action. So how was this person doing it?

"You can keep trying to read my mind all you want, it won't work," said Los simply. Ivan instantly broke off his limited connection. "How…how do you know of it?" he asked. "Are you an adept too?"

"An adept? No, I'm not tainted," Los chuckled, ignoring Ivan's quizzical look due to his use of the word "tainted." "Let's just say I've had training when it comes to recognising psyenergy, or at least sensing it."

Los decided against telling Ivan the full story, how he and the rest of his fellow rouges were basically immune to psyenergy and through countless hours of psychological training, were able to sense it. It was what made Nalu even more disconcerting, how he could seemingly read Los's mind and could seemingly use psyenergy without him sensing it. Still, best not to dwell on it right now. Shaking off his thoughts, Los looked directly down at Ivan; "So you're a Jupiter Adept huh? What's your name?"

It was a slightly discomforting feeling how Ivan had assumed that Los would be the one unable to lie without him knowing and now instead felt the opposite. _"May as well answer truthfully," _Ivan thought to himself, half wondering whether his 'saviour' was going to read his mind after 'absorbing his technique' or something equally ridiculous. _"After all, I've got nothing to lose."_

"Ivan," said the boy of the same name.

"Ivan?" Los asked, trying to give an image of being merely curious and not entirely succeeding in hiding a feeling of menace. "That's what you said, right?"

"Um…yes," said Ivan slowly. It was a strange feeling how a few minutes ago he was indifferent as to whether he lived or died when now he was actually concerned for his well being.

"And he's a wind adept too, with a staff to boot…" Los murmured, not caring whether Ivan heard him or not. Truth be told, Ivan hadn't-he was more concerned with the fact that Los's right hand was straying to one of his blades. After seeing the display he'd put on with the thieves, Ivan wasn't too keen to see a repeat, especially since such a show would almost certainly feature him as the victim.

"Hmm, doesn't matter," said Los eventually, taking his hand away from his sword. His voice was deceptively pleasant but Ivan guessed that if he asked what had aroused such suspicion in the first place, the sword might end up being used on him after all. Ivan mentally sighed; being saved wasn't all that it was all cracked up to be.

"Whatever," said the servant. "Thanks for the help. Now excuse me while I go find a hole to live in."

"Pardon?" asked Los as Ivan walked away. "Are you sure that's the right course of action?"

Ivan turned back to face him; "What other course is there? I've failed my master and there's nothing I can do to help him. How could I return to Kalay knowing this?"

Los considered the question thoughtfully before answering; "Maybe you simply need to find a new path in life, something for yourself."

"What are you implying?" Ivan growled. It was funny how this man had twisted his emotions in a way that ensured he was nothing like his usual mystic self.

"Loyalty is something that many admire," said Los. "And even more covet it. The question you have to ask yourself however, is whether your loyalty to your master is either true dedication, or a kind of blind faith that prevents you from receiving the burden of choice. He gestured to the bodies of the riders; "Not much different from the brigands really, although I can say with absolute confidence that they enjoyed their work."

If looks could kill, Los would have been bleeding profusely at this point, given Ivan's visage; "What do you know?" the boy snarled, his voice laced with venom. "Even if I did serve my master out of blind faith, how are you any different?"

"Pardon?"

"Don't try to hide it!" Ivan shouted. "Don't pretend that you killed those men for any other reason than to get a taste of vengeance!"

"Are you accusing me of being blinded by rage?" Los snarled.

"Are you denying it?" asked Ivan simply. "You can't fool me, I saw the look on your face as you delivered the coup de grace."

Los winced, making it abundantly clear that Ivan had struck a nerve; "Perhaps you're right," he said eventually. "But even if what you say is true, does it matter?" He faced Ivan directly; "Fighting is one of the things I'm good at."

"And that's an excuse?" Ivan asked, subconsciously grasping his staff.

"An excuse?" asked Los. "I've always fought for what I believed in." He pointed at Ivan; "Can you say the same?"

Ivan remained silent, which could have been seen as a realisation of guilt. However, it was down to something that few could understand, how their bond was something that went beyond a master and a servant…

"Even if it was blind faith," said Ivan eventually. "What path would you recommend I take?"

"That's your problem," shrugged Los. "Find something that you believe in for yourself. It has nothing to do with me."

An uneasy silence followed until Los broke it; "Whatever, it doesn't matter to me what happens to you." He mounted the horse that he had gained temporary ownership of; "I saved your life so you have to bear with it." With that, he prepared to ride off.

"Wait," said Ivan softly, before he could go. Los looked down at him;

"Yes?"

Ivan remained silent for a few seconds, still considering Los's words. As much as he hated to admit it, there was nothing he could do to help his master. But maybe he _could_ find something for himself, find something that he believed in…Isaac and Garet perhaps?

It would be uncomfortable, just turning up to help them, even if he _could_ find them. But weren't they what Los claimed himself to be, fighting for something they believed in, fighting for something that would bring benefit to the world rather than themselves or someone higher? Of course, the Wise One had instructed them, but they still believed in his words.

Ivan had no problem with being a servant, but he was beginning to realise that perhaps he had to choose his own path in life, fight his own battles, make his own decisions… Ivan smiled to himself. His 'saviour' may have been an arrogant prat but he had at least helped him find something truly worth fighting for.

"Where are you headed?" Ivan asked Los eventually.

"To Im-…" Los cut short, knowing that he'd almost said "Imil." He knew that such a statement would have been a personal admission that he actually believed Nalu's words, something that he wasn't so keen on doing.

"North," he said eventually.

"Good, then you can give me a ride," said Ivan. Isaac and Garet had said that they were headed for the Goma Range, so despite the detour he'd made to Lunpa, perhaps he could catch up to them on horseback.

Los considered the request thoughtfully; "Alright," he said eventually. "But I don't make good company and have no particular desire for it either."

"Don't worry, I won't hang around longer than I have to," said Ivan.

"Whatever," grunted Los. He looked down at the bodies of those that he had killed, experiencing a faint feeling of guilt; "I suppose we better bury them." He dismounted to do just that.

"And thanks for the help, um…"

"Los," the rouge grunted.

"Ah, well thanks for helping me with the thieves," said Ivan as he walked over to help, thinking of the new path he was prepared to take in life;

"_And other things."_

**A/N**

_Sorry this chapter took so long to get out. Basically it was due to…difficulties with writing it and spending most of my time playing Twilight Princess. Kickass too._

_I actually intended to go on but decided against it, reasoning that where I left this chapter off where I did was a good decision. It allows me to avoid having to make a time jump of a few days and the chapter may have ended up becoming too long. It's hard for me to decide what an ideal length is but I usually aim for 4000-6000 words._

_Still, I'm kinda uneasy about the portrayals of characters. Although I did tone it down a bit, I fear that Los may be straying into Mary Sue territory. Damit, Nalu's easy to work with, I can make him as powerful as I want and still provide valid reasoning. Los is different though. Perhaps I should have kept to my original plan and not introduced him until…well, after Lost Age, if I even get that far. Still, putting him in earlier allows for character development._

_Which brings me to the subject of Ivan, what with making him a bit of an angst bucket. I'm kinda uneasy about that, how he's probably OOC. Still, I was aiming to emphasise his almost blind loyalty to Hammet and how over time he becomes more independent. Character development isn't always easy but I intend to give it for all the major protagonists. Yes, even Los, although I try to keep it up to the reader to decide whether he's a secondary protagonist or secondary antagonist. "Anti-hero" is probably the best term._

_I understand that I'm probably straying into dangerous ground, how Ivan and Los seem to be interacting. I try to keep the two stories separate, coming into contact only either by necessity or plot bearing. I needed to get Ivan on a horse somehow, as it makes no sense in the game how he's able to catch up to Isaac and Garet so easily after taking a detour to Lunpa._

_So anyway, enjoy it or hate it while you can. My final year of secondary school begins tomorrow and with stuff like HSCs, updates will be infrequent. However, I'll keep working on this, just expect updates to be far less frequent than in the past._

_So till next time, whenever that may be._


	23. Roadblock

**Golden Sun: The Broken Seal**

**Chapter 22: Roadblock**

Deep down in the furthest recesses of her being, Jenna was partially grateful that Isaac and Garet weren't with her at this point in time. The individuals that were aware of the friendship between the mars adept and her two friends would berate her for such thinking, those who thought that their relationship went beyond such a thing even more so. Jenna, despite her liking for debate, perhaps due to the fact that she nearly always won, wouldn't have tried to argue with them.

What prompted such gratitude was that if her friends _were_ with here, Jenna knew that she would have been eating her own words. She, the most vocal advocate of the idea of leaving Vale, always putting forward the idea of leaving the town to explore the world when Garet wasn't doing so, and chastising Isaac for his reluctance, had experienced a change of preferences, wanting nothing more but to be back at Vale, enjoying life with those that she could trust and listening to Kraden's lectures to her heart's content.

Given her current situation, Jenna knew that it was wise to focus on any positive aspect that she could think of to prevent herself from slipping into hopeless misery. Although Saturos and Menardi weren't going out of their way to make this the case, they would no doubt prefer the girl to become more passive. A complete removal of all optimism would guarantee such a result.

Unfortunately, any gratitude that Jenna felt towards the absence of her friends was always overshadowed by the regret that they _were_ absent, perhaps from this world altogether. Jenna had come to realise that this was a distinct possibility before they'd even reached Vault, but despite just over a week of travelling, the acceptance of these facts hadn't fully sunk in.

The loathing that Jenna felt towards her captors, especially her supposed brother, such a term only used in the biological sense, was beginning to be matched by the loathing she had been feeling towards herself. If only she hadn't sent Isaac and Garet to retrieve the stars instead of doing it herself. If only Kraden hadn't led them into Sol Sanctum. If only Saturos and Menardi had never returned to Vale If only-…

Jenna shook her head. She remembered how just after Kraden had taken Isaac, Garet and herself under his wing that the scholar had told her how dwelling on the past was a road to madness, obviously referring to the storm that had cost Isaac his father and Jenna her family. The same philosophy held true in these circumstances. Jenna knew that if she continued this method of reflection, it wouldn't be long before she reached "if only the storm had never occurred" and perhaps "if only humanity wasn't so short sighted and idiotic to use alchemy as a weapon of war, thus prompting its sealing and the subsequent desire for its return, thus endangering the world's existence."

Jenna had concluded that reflection, whether it be on her friends or unfortunate past circumstances, wasn't going to prevent her from sliding into complete docility. Hope was a beautiful word and a wonderful feeling. Jenna of course had the small hope that Isaac and Garet were still alive and coming to rescue her and that her captors would end up begging for undeserved mercy in the process. However, hope had to be sustained on something, and apart from reflection, Jenna saw only two remaining methods in which she could do this.

The first was focussing on those around her, letting her animosity fester while doing so. Sustaining her hope via hatred was hardly noble but it served its purpose. So while Jenna had come to conclusions as to the nature of her captors, and Kraden for that matter, in the initial stages of their journey, revision of her stance could do no harm. So, not for the first time, nor the last, Jenna pondered her relationship with the others.

The nature of the mars adept's relationship with Menardi was the easiest to identify, mainly due to it being the most simple. Jenna hated the scythe wielding bitch and felt content in the knowledge that the feeling was mutual. Opposites attract, so given the similar nature of the two adepts, how they both wielded the element of fire and had short tempers, such animosity was hardly surprising. For every physical transgression Menardi made against Jenna, the Valean managed to come up with an insult that would leave the older yet equally impetuous woman fuming in such a manner that was not due to the fire she had under her command. Jenna looked forward to the day when such fumes would manifest themselves in physical form after she'd unleashed a barrage of her own psynergy.

Saturos was hardly any better in Jenna's mind, but at least he was more predictable calm than his female companion. Although he had no qualms against using physical force to maintain order, he at least showed a degree of restraint. However, Jenna could tell that this was only due to the fact that, in Saturos's mind, she and Kraden were beneath his notice. His primary motivation was to achieve his goals of releasing alchemy and would not be distracted as easily as Menardi was.

In a sense, Saturos reminded Jenna of Isaac. Both had a flair for leadership, both had a serious demur…Heck, they even wielded similar weapons! The only difference between the two, apart from that of physical appearance and age, was that their morality was on opposite ends of the spectrum, a difference that had been demonstrated aptly by Saturos's indifference to Vale's fate. Jenna found it hard to concentrate on Saturos as a result; focus too long and all she saw was a hideous mirror image of Isaac, making her miss the venus adept even more.

As long as Saturos received a grizzly end, Jenna would be satisfied. Unlike Menardi, she didn't care about the circumstances.

Still, as hideous a mirror image as Saturos was, he still paled in comparison to that which Felix represented. While Jenna could stare at both Saturos and Menardi with hatred and imagine daggers plunging into them while she was at it, she couldn't give Felix, her supposed brother, the same treatment. Not out of lack of hatred of course, if anything he deserved even more extreme treatment. No, such an aversion was due to the feeling of disgust that Jenna experienced every time she looked at him.

The Felix that was in her presence had no right to exist. Either he was the result of some form of necromancy, a possibility that Jenna couldn't entirely rule out, or he was someone who should have died three years ago. A backstabbing traitor who had turned his back on Vale, its values and friends had no right to exist, had no right to talk to the one whom he claimed to have kinship with, have no right to act as if he had any vestiges of a moral centre left. He'd given up trying to make conversation with Jenna quite some time ago and the mars adept saw no reason to prompt a second series of attempts.

Concerning Menardi, Jenna would have been happy with a smoking corpse. Concerning her false brother, nothing less than a pile of ash would do, waiting to be scattered by the four winds.

Finally, and in stark contrast to Jenna's take on Felix, was Alex. The hatred that Jenna felt towards the man paled in comparison to what she felt towards her 'brother' and even Saturos and Menardi. Indeed, "hatred" was probably too strong a word. True, Jenna had dislike for the man, but only because of the fact that he was seemingly allied with her captors. Everything else about him was a mystery; he rarely, if ever talked, hardly glanced at those in his presence…Jenna had even tried striking up conversation with him at times. His reaction was always the same; walking further ahead or dropping behind, just so long as he widened the distance between them. Alex was an anathema and Jenna had so little to work with that any theories she came up with would have been based on fiction.

Concentrating on Alex was a waste of time in Jenna's opinion. He acted like she, and indeed, the rest of his companions didn't exist. The mars adept saw no reason not to give him the same treatment. Similar to how she regarded Felix, except without any malicious intent. After all, what was the point of hating what was essentially a void?

Even the scenery, had more substance than Alex did, and considering the limited variability in the former, that was truly saying something. True, an endless sea of grass with mountains in the distance conveyed a sense of peace, or at least lessened Jenna's unease, but the aesthetic qualities of such things were limited. Still, it was indeed the scenery which was Jenna's second source of hope preservation apart from reflection. Hatred could only take her so far and although her surroundings did not give out such a driving force, they still maintained a degree of hope in that they prevented a descent into misery.

Over the past few days, Jenna had been focussing on the scenery to a greater extent than which she'd done so previously, as the amount of interest was steadily increasing. Despite the fact that there was roughly one month of autumn left, snow was already beginning to settle in small clumps in the grass and settling on the leaves and branches of the few trees that the group passed.

However, all this was overshadowed by the beauty that the mountains in front of them conveyed, the same mountains that Saturos was leading the party to. Tall and majestic with the snow at their peeks visible despite the group being at their base, Jenna could not help but feel awed by them. In recent memory, such a feeling had only been matched by what she had experienced in the star chamber of Sol Sanctum.

If only Isaac and Garet could see this…

"Jenna? Are you alright?"

Jenna snapped out of her reminiscence, quite irritated at such an intrusion into her thoughts. At first she thought that Felix was once again trying to make conversation, a right that he had no claim to and one that Jenna would deny him. Turning to the actual source of the voice though, the teenager found that it was actually Kraden who had addressed her, a quizzical look showing behind his spectacles.

"Pardon?" asked Jenna.

"I asked if everything's alright," Kraden repeated, concern now clearly showing rather than mere curiosity.

"Oh, I'm…fine," said Jenna awkwardly, not fully returned to reality. The back of her mind pointed out the irony of her becoming like the dreamer that Isaac was, but she shoved it back, not wanting such memories to surface.

"At least as fine as I could be during the circumstances," Jenna continued, tugging at the metal handcuffs attached to her risks to make her point.

Kraden nodded sombrely; "Which wouldn't be very fine at all, would it?"

"I'll manage," murmured Jenna, prompting a sad smile from the scholar.

"What about you?" Jenna asked, deciding that conversation was a good choice of action to prevent a descent into misery. "You're an old man-…"

"I beg your pardon!?" exclaimed Kraden indignantly, earning a glance from Menardi.

"-yet you're trudging along almost as well as any of us," Jenna finished, ignoring the scholar's outburst.

It might have seemed like a simple compliment on the surface, but it wouldn't have taken long for anyone to realise that Jenna was merely asking a pressing question in a subtle manner, such a question being how was Kraden able to keep up with the group so easily?

The scholar shrugged; "Healthy living I guess."

"Healthy living? You spent almost all your time in your cottage performing experiments!" exclaimed Jenna. "How is that healthy?"

Kraden chuckled; "Well, it's healthy for the mind, at least. And that's what matters."

It was evident that either Kraden knew more about his unexplained fitness than he was letting on, or simply wanted to avoid the topic as it concerned his age; a sensitive subject. Still, perhaps having a healthy mind _was_ the answer; after all, the geyser hadn't become senile. Not yet at least.

"But enough about me," said Kraden hastily, wanting to change the subject. "I brought this upon myself, while you-…"

"Don't bother apologising," interrupted Jenna. "All we have to do now is focus on how we're going to get out of this mess."

"Ah, that's the spirit!" exclaimed Kraden, slapping the young girl on the back, earning yet another venomous glance from Menardi. "But of course, we may not need to," the scholar continued, lowering his voice. "After all, your knights in shining armour might arrive any moment now."

"Kraden…"

"Isaac with his leadership, Garet with his sword arm…" Despite his age, Kraden was showing the euphoria of a child that had read too many adventure stories for his own good. "And just think, at the end of it, you can get confessions out of the way."

"Kraden, did adolescence begin only ten years ago for you!?" Jenna shouted, disgusted at the old man's interest in such a topic.

The scholar simply grinned at her in response, causing Jenna to sigh mentally; not that she would ever admit it due to the tomboy attitude that she tried to maintain, but part of the unease she was feeling was due to Kraden's comments touching on a sensitive issue, at least for her. If Isaac and Garet somehow survived the eruption (_"no, of course they did," Jenna reassured herself)_, if, no, _when _they reached Saturos and Menardi, _when_ they proved that valour and honour were just as powerful as martial and psynergetic prowess in their own way and_ if_ Jenna's conclusions about the nature of their friendship still held true then…

Well, it would prompt a confession on her own part, of that she had no doubt. Thinking about her two friends back in Sol Sanctum just after leaving Vale had fully solidified Jenna's stance on the matter, namely what she had felt all along. The worst case scenario constantly surfaced in her mind when she gave thought to the dilemma; she would have to break one heart and make another whole…

"I think it would be best if you two stopped walking."

The statement, just like Kraden's before, tore Jenna away from her train of thought. Given how Kraden span around just as suddenly as she did, he was probably just as surprised as she was. Such surprise, at least in Jenna's case, quickly gave way to unease. Alex was standing roughly five feet behind them and had probably kept such a distance all along. After all, _someone_ had to guard them, and Menardi had probably tired of it. Only someone like Alex could maintain such a void of presence. Still, given the blank, impassive and frankly disturbing visage the ice blue haired man conveyed, Jenna wondered if she was better off with her usual captor…

"Pardon?" Jenna asked, puzzled at Alex's comment. By way of response, Alex simply gave a sideways nod to his comrades. Felix and Saturos had a map folded out on a rock by the eastern bank of the river, deep in a heated argument, the fervour only matched by the annoyance that Menardi was showing as she stormed towards them, her scythe at the ready (then again, it always was). Jenna involuntarily gulped. Despite her policy of "subtle resistance", the term "non violent" sounding too pacifistic, she'd gladly fold over if it prevented the woman from satiating her scythe's supposed craving for blood, a notion that Jenna was beginning to ridicule less.

"What in the name of alchemy are you doing!?" Menardi hissed, her knuckles whitening even further as she tightened her grip on her weapon. "Did you not hear us tell you to stop? Or was this another one of your pathetic escape attempts?" She seemed to be addressing Jenna directly rather than including the scholar.

"The…former," said Jenna slowly, self preservation ruling over pride. A wise course of action, as Menardi loosened the grip on her, causing Kraden to let out a sigh of relief and Jenna's heart to return to its normal rate of beating.

"Whatever," Menardi murmured eventually, not fully believing the little brat but thinking little of the matter nonetheless. She turned to Alex; "Saturos wants you for something by the way." Giving a nod by way of response, the man turned and walked over to where Saturos and Felix were still arguing over some heated issue. Judging that Menardi wouldn't be using her scythe in the near future, Jenna strained to hear the argument between Saturos and the traitor. An acknowledgement of her false brother's existence perhaps, but she was still curious as to what had caused such disunity.

"…and I, for one, disagree with this!" Felix shouted, loud enough for Jenna to hear.

Saturos sighed; he knew that the teen's morality could potentially become a problem but this was simply too much; "Felix, there's a key word in that sentence and it's 'one'. Menardi agrees with me and somehow I doubt that Alex will be siding with you in this argument," nodding to the said individual as he walked over.

Felix wasn't backing down; "Saturos, this is unnecessary. Don't you think you're overreacting?"

Saturos shrugged; "Perhaps. However, Goma Pass is still open to cavalry and if your former friends-…"

"There's no guarantee that Isaac and Garet survived the eruption," said Felix bluntly, causing Jenna to stare at him in shock and hatred; _"How dare he?" _she thought. _"How dare he simply dismiss their possible deaths so casually!?"_

A valid question. However, given the angle and distance, Jenna didn't see the flicker of pain in her brother's eyes.

"Even if they didn't, Vale would still send someone after us," said Saturos. "There's the distinct possibility that those pitiful misguided souls would have scrounged up enough gold to buy horses in Vault, not to mention hiring some of Dodonpa's brigands to aid in their pursuit."

"Oh, come on!" Felix exclaimed. "My former townspeople may be deluded but they'd never side with the bastards that Dodonpa employs!"

"_Deluded!?" _Jenna exclaimed mentally. _"Just watch who you're calling names, you filthy, backstabbing criminal!"_

"Even so, it's a risk I'd rather not take," said Saturos, letting his cold, calculating side shine through. "And after all, travellers can still make their way through Goma Cave, just not on horseback. We have nothing to lose by causing a landslide in Goma Pass.

"A what!?" Jenna exclaimed, earning a slap across the head by Menardi for the outburst.

Felix wasn't backing down; "Saturos, you know as well as I do how the road through Goma Cave fell into disrepair long ago. If half the legends are true-…"

"Felix, they're just that; legends," Saturos interrupted. "Twenty-six hundred years, give or take, isn't all that long in the grand scheme of things."

"But-…"

"And even if they are true, I'm sure your friends can handle vengeful midgets and ghosts. And if not, the Mars Star will still be there for the taking." Saturos's face lit up with a form of…hunger as he mentioned the priceless relic. "And before you interrupt, yes, we can assume that the boys, or whoever may have taken their place, are bringing the Mars Star with them. They'll want to track us after all, not to mention using it as a bargaining chip for your sister. Whether they deposit it along with their corpses or bring it deliver it personally is none of my concern."

Jenna felt inclined to point out that she most certainly was _not _related to the man called Felix in any way, but managed to stay quiet, instead listening to what the impostor was saying; "You don't seem to be able to sense it yourself though. None of us can."

"The ways of alchemy are mysterious," said Alex passively by way of explanation.

"Indeed," murmured Saturos, seemingly wanting to avoid talking about his inability to sense the Mars Star through the others he possessed, something that he clearly regarded as an embarrassment. " But anyway, it doesn't matter. "We're going to seal Goma Pass and I'll broke no argument in the matter!"

"But-…"

"There's power out there in the world, Felix. I'd hate to keep it waiting." Having made it clear that his decision was final, Saturos turned to Alex; "Alex, teleport Felix and yourself up to the cliff face and begin the show. Join us on the other side." With that, he strode off, not wanting to waste any more time arguing about morality. Felix sighed, turning to Alex;

"Care to give me a lift?"

**XXXX**

Journeying through Goma Pass had been easier than Jenna had predicted. Despite the ground being rocky and that she couldn't use her hands to stabilise herself whenever she tripped, the grip the surface provided was surprisingly adequate. She supposed it had to be, considering that it was supposedly the only route through the Goma Range, apart from the cave that Saturos had mentioned.

However, in a few minutes, that would probably no longer be the case. Saturos had called the group to a halt to watch the upcoming spectacle, despicable anticipation showing in both his visage and that of his female counterpart. Through Alex's teleportation abilities, both he and Felix were on a high ridge, ready to seal the pass.

Jenna watched how the man next to Alex closed his eyes, stretched out his left arm and began to glow with the white light of psynergy. Although Jenna was of the element of fire and not so knowledgeable on that of earth, she could tell, mainly through watching Isaac, that Felix was channelling energy to cast a 'quake' or something similar to what Isaac had used to send the vermin sprawling back in Sol Sanctum.

However, scattering bipedal rats and causing a landslide were two very different tasks. Jenna was dubious as to the traitor's ability to cause such extreme movement of earth. Surely he was biting off more than he could chew…

Given that, with a sickening crack, part of the cliff face gave way, resulting in numerous chunks of rock sliding down, blocking up the pass.

Before Jenna could fully comprehend what had just happened, Felix and Alex appeared in their mist, courtesy of the latter's teleport ability. Felix glanced at Saturos, an odd expression on his face;

"It's done." With that, he strode ahead, Saturos, Menardi and Alex soon following and by extension, Jenna and Kraden. The group was silent but Jenna barely noticed, for her mind was in overdrive, processing two disturbing facts;

The first was that the spectacle that she'd just witnessed was a display of psynergetic power that she would have never thought possible. Saturos and Menardi were obviously powerful individuals, she could sense that easily. In addition, although Alex did not convey such a blatant degree of power, Jenna suspected that his ability to teleport and levitate, techniques that not even Kraden could account for, were just the psynergetic frosting on a putrid cake of alchemy.

Felix though…

Although Jenna would never acknowledge it, she did indeed possess the recognition that the Felix in her presence was the same individual as the one who'd supposedly died three years ago, albeit only on a physical level. However, from an anti-social bookworm to a master of such power… Heck, Isaac, regarded as a powerful master of venus psynergy by even the elders, would have to be years away from displaying even a fraction of the power.

True, Felix could have trained just like Jenna, Isaac and Garet did in an even more extreme manner but the circumstances were something that she didn't want to indulge in, as doing so would actually mean talking to him about his past or one of his fellow thieves. Jenna would rot in hell before that ever happened, not wanting to acknowledge a record of his existence However, given current circumstances…

Still, as disturbing as those circumstances were, the second fact that Jenna had processed was far more disturbing, as it threatened to upset all the conclusions the mars adept had made thus far. The look of sorrow on Felix's face when he warped back down with Alex.

It almost looked genuine…

**A/N**

_Yay, an update!_

…

…

_Cue chirping of crickets._

_Ok, time to be serious. Yes, this is an update (obviously), which signals a return to Broken Seal. The hiatus has served me well in that I've managed to make the projected storyline far more solid and I have a more stable framework to work with. This is a good thing, trust me. _

_I intended to carry on to Isaac and Garet's arrival at the range too, but decided to postpone that; it gave me a faster update, plus stopped me from having to make a time jump within a chapter longer than a few minutes or hours._

_Still, the chapter is shorter as a result. This may become a norm as, to keep this fic alive, I may have to resort to shorter updates to keep my interest up and feel like I'm making progress. Now obviously, I'm not going to submit 500 word chapters, but don't expect me to beat the 7,716 mark (the longest word count of a chapter, namely #20) anytime soon._

_Finally, shorter chapters are harder to proof read and I can end up missing important plot points as a result. One plot hole that no-one seemingly picked upon was Isaac and Garet's unexplained martial prowess, how they were able to beat bandits and vermin with no explanation!_

_I'll be providing it (nothing major, so don't hold your breath) in the future, but hopefully this kind of mistake won't be repeated. Shorter chapters can ensure this._

_Also, I intend to do some revisions of earlier chapters. Nothing major but they include correcting the atrocious grammar and spelling of the early chapters, namely when I didn't have spell/grammar check. Also there's the fact that I used "psyenergy" rather than "psynergy" in every chapter until now. Oops!_

_I'll put notes in new chapters of any major corrections/changes. However, new chapters won't be submitted as revised wholes, so don't expect revised updates._

_So, as for this chapter…Well, basically it's full solidification of Jenna's stance towards her captors while solidifying character traits simultaneously, so sorry for the likely boredom it caused you. Still, at least I could maintain my policy of shipping ambiguity while I was at it. Yep, still going._

_Still, we're nearing Imil, so that might provide some substance to the rabid mud, steam and storm shippers that are gathering at my door._

_Or not _

_Note that the review system I've developed doesn't apply to this fic, so I can't provide exact update dates. However, by the end of this week the last of my major assessments will be over so I'll have more time for fanfics. I have to solidify some lore for Goma Cave first, but it shouldn't take long, I know what its backstory is, although how much is revealed is something I have to consider._

_Speaking of Goma Cave, I do know that in the game it's the only pass through the mountains. However, if this was the case, how did Hammet plan to head north, considering the steep ledges up to the cave's entrance? Plot hole? Hence, Goma Pass exists, which has been conveniently sealed. So yes, Isaac and co. will be travelling through it, but it's obviously not their preferred option._

_Ok, I've yakked on long enough. Suffice to say, the darkness of a lack of updates is over and the golden sun of chapters has risen (gets shot for the most corny line ever)._

_Reviews are appreciated as always._


	24. Author's Notes

**Author's Notes**

Yes, I know that full chapters of author's notes aren't technicly allowed, but hopefully it'll remain a temporary thing.

Anyway, bitter irony reeks. It was almost exactly two months that I posted Chapter 22 of this fic, with a big fanfare of how I had returned to it. Following such a return, was another absence. Anyway, here are a few basic reasons;

-When computers crash, they develop concussion.

-Exams suck. 'Nuff said.

Anyway, my computer is working now and exams are nearly over, so I'm running out of excuses. True, none of us who post fics on this site are obliged to meet deadlines but I can't help but feel guilty that I left this fic for so long. Part of this was due to rival fandoms in a sense, with me having bursts of inspiration in Warcraft and Zelda, manifesting in two new fics that originally started from oneshots.

Still, I have been working on this fic in the meantime. Part of the delay was due to the fact that developing the history and lore of Goma Range took WAY longer than I anticipated, although it was still a rewarding experience. Planning has also gone into other lore and future chapters-I've just finished the detailed outline of chapter 31, which is situated in Imil. Suffice to say, I think this fic is going to take far longer than what I originally envisioned back in '06.

Anyway, I hope to get Chapter 23 up soon, but in the meantime, I've revised the prologue, kind of as a way to get myself back into a GS writing mood, along with correcting the numerous typos and atrocious grammar. A few expansions are made also (eg Heph's age is given as 75, and will be posted on the timeline).

Also, I have a few retcons to make in earlier chapters. I'll repost these changes and any others I make in the author's notes of Chapter 23, but here are the intended ones;

-I've planned the timeline over which the two games occur, and looking at it, there's simply no way that Los could have got from the Lamarkan Desert to Vale in just one month. I'll have to multiply that figure.

-Vani states that concerning the name change of Dale to Vale, "geographical terms sucked." While the name change was something I'd planned from the start, along with its reasoning, the exact circumstances weren't. Suffice to say, they have been by now, and for Vani to make such a statement would be really OOC.

What, you expected an explicit reason?

-Giving the head djinn names like 'Nev' and Ulyxis was a very, VERY stupid idea, considering that they bear no reference to actual mythology like the summons do. I intend to change that.

-I gave one of the Vale kids the name Sean, forgetting that there already was a Sean (Sean and Oronos). I may change this, although it's probably not worth it. I'm open to reader opinion on this issue.

-Nephilim tells Kite that "only nine djinn, including you, escaped our wrath." Given the actual circumstances, this was a poor choice of words…

Anyway, those are the ones that come to mind at this point in time. I wouldn't say another hiatus was exactly a tragedy, but, however unfounded such an emotion may have been, I can't help but feel guilty at the lack of activity.

Anyway, no explicit promises (I learnt that lesson back in Vault), but I hope to get Chapter 23 up soon. Apologies to anyone who still follows this fic.


	25. Winter's Herald

**Golden Sun: The Broken Seal**

**Chapter 23: Winter's Herald**

Garet hated snow.

It was a fact that the Mars adept often expressed, or at least often when snow was present or when the subject of it was brought up, usually in the onset of winter. With the end of autumn approaching, it was "that time of year" again.

For reasons Garet could never understand, or at least didn't agree with, the bulk of Vale's population appreciated the supposed beauty of winter. True, it meant that there were smaller crop yields, but Vale's soil was highly productive, so much so that if it wasn't for the town's self-imposed isolation, it had the potential to be an economic hub of agricultural products. Winter was rarely, if ever seen as a hindrance.

However, according to Kraden at least, who had poured over the town's weather records (which dated back a few centuries), winters were slowly but steadily becoming more severe. For the average Valean farmer, this meant likely hardship for future generations. For Garet, this meant more months of each year where he had to bear with the detestable white substance that was snow, not to mention the brown slush that it turned into when spring finally arrived.

There were many reasons why Garet disliked the white sand that fell from the sky, the principle reason among them was that it was nothing more but water in crystallised, solid form. Perhaps he indeed had hydrophobia (or whatever that prat Felix had called it in their early childhood); a fear of water, but Garet didn't consider this to be the case. He simply disliked water because it wet, cold, gave you the flu if you spent too much time in it and was the substance used in…ugh, baths.

Snow had all of these features, not to mention the added disadvantage of being used in snowball fights, in which Garet was usually on the receiving end. It was hard to walk through also, sometimes so much that it would prevent him and his friends from heading outside to do anything. While Felix had no doubt relished such times, in which he could engross himself in whatever piece of literature he was reading, such circumstances had the potential to send Garet, not to mention Jenna for that matter insane.

Therefore, given all the disadvantages that snow brought, Garet found himself disliking his current circumstances. True, it was bad enough that he and Isaac had been given a task by a sanctimonious floating boulder and that Jenna (and Kraden for that matter) had been kidnapped, but to top it off, the Mars adept found himself walking across snow that had settled over the plains north of Vault. It wasn't so deep that it hindered Garet's pace or even Isaac's, but it still ensured that you received a cold, wet rear whenever you sat down. Sleeping was even more unpleasant, the cold ground adding to the unpleasant experience of morning's chill.

Matters hadn't been alleviated by the fact that bands of vermin, similar to the ones encountered in Sol Sanctum except slightly more savage and more hungry for blood, had attacked Garet and Isaac three of four times a day on average. Each time the two adepts had been able to see them off, although what had started as a serries of slightly tense experiences with the possible advantage that it was increasing the two teens' martial prowess, had become nothing more than a dreary, unappealing experience. Whenever a band of the bipedal rodents had shown up, Garet had suppressed the urge to groan.

Garet failed to see any silver lining to his current circumstances or a bronze one for that matter. He could only faintly hope that Saturos and Menardi were experiencing the same unpleasant circumstances, but even if this were the case it was 'cold comfort'; whatever the two murderers experienced would be experienced by Jenna also, and given their sadistic natures, probably more so.

"You know what?" said Garet to no-one in particular, simply just voicing his thoughts. "This really sucks."

"Thanks for stating the obvious Garet."

Garet blinked, initially unsure as to who had spoken up. A second later however, after he'd remembered that he'd indeed spoken aloud, he realised that Isaac had heard the Mars adept's complaints and responded to them. Still, it was to be expected. That was how Isaac tended to operate in conversation. While the Venus adept was not often the one to start vocal interaction, he could still converse normally after it had begun. Kind of like Felix, except for the fact that the traitor bookworm only joined in the conversation half the time.

Garet decided to maintain what he had inadvertently started, not wanting to remain in silence; "still, we're hanging in there, aren't we?"

Isaac merely grunted, his back turned to Garet from his position a few metres in front of him. Garet raised an eyebrow, not liking the awkwardness that was descending upon him. Still, he decided to press on;

"So... we're heading for Goma Pass, right?"

Isaac chuckled; "Garet, you're hopeless at this." Garet opened his mouth to respond but Isaac cut him off, turning his head around to face his friend; "Still, you've got the right idea. Silence isn't always golden after all."

"Yeah, the sun is," answered Garet, glad that Isaac seemed to be responding. "Pity it isn't showing right now."

"Probably won't for awhile," said Isaac, looking up at the bleak grey clouds above them, which were, for now at least, not releasing more snow. Isaac didn't possess the same dislike of the substance that Garet did, but given that the more snow that piled on the plains the slower their trudging would become, not to mention that it would make sleep even more unpleasant, the Venus adept wasn't about to ask for any more of the crystallised water to drop from the sky.

"Feels weird though," said Isaac eventually. "Not having Ivan with us."

"Ivan?" asked Garet in surprise. "What about him?"

Isaac sighed; "It's just…strange, given how we're a party of two instead of three."

"_I beg your pardon?" _asked a voice in Isaac's mind.

"_Go back to sleep Flint."_

Garet raised an eyebrow; "Strange? In what way?"

"Garet, think about it," said Isaac, feeling awkward in that he was putting forward thoughts that he knew stemmed only from wishful thinking, yet felt compelled to do so. "We meet a Jupiter Adept, perhaps the only one left in Weyard. We fight thieves, share information, and then simply…part ways."

Garet shook his head; Isaac could be an idealist sometimes, being capable of believing in things like fate, destiny and numerous other terms that stemmed from fantasy stories. Still, given recent events, it was perhaps understandable; talking, floating rocks that had enough psynergy to hold back an eruption could have that effect on people.

"You think fate separated us or something?" Garet asked, wanting his friend to realise that it was folly to dwell on past events. It had taken roughly a year for Isaac to fully recover from the effects of the storm. While Garet had willingly stood by his friend over that period of time and felt no resentment, he had no wish for the experience to be repeated in Isaac moping over what could have been a friendship with a blonde midget.

Isaac shrugged; "Maybe. Still, it's probably just wishful thinking." Disappointment was still evident in his voice. Garet's irritation rose;

"Come on, snap out of it," he said forcefully. "Even if Ivan _had _decided to tag along, it's not as if we needed him." He let out a cheesy grin that betrayed his overconfidence; "We're perfectly capable of defeating Saturos and his crew by ourselves."

Isaac stopped dead in his tracks, the air around him seemingly becoming even colder. Garet knew his friend well enough to know that something had snapped in his fellow adept, but had no idea what. True, Isaac had been mopey over what he probably perceived as a lost opportunity, but he saw no reason for the backlash that followed as Isaac spun around, his sky blue eyes blazing with inner fire;

"Under what basis is _that_?" Isaac snarled. "Is your usual overconfidence turning into stupidity?"

"Not as much as your depression is turning you into a moody bastard," Garet answered simply, his hand straying to his battle sword. True, Isaac was the unofficial leader of the duo (well, three if one included Flint, but Garet had no intention of doing so) and Garet accepted that, but he was damned if he'd talked down by someone who was not only eight months younger than himself, but was letting events remove confidence and instead replace them with depression.

"Let's look at some facts," snarled Isaac, taking a step forward. "We're up against two exceptionally powerful mars adepts, both of which presumably possess great martial prowess. To top it off, they're aided by an old friend of ours, one whom I refuse to treat purely as an enemy and another adept who can teleport and seemingly defy the laws of gravity. And if things weren't bad enough, they have Jenna and Kraden, who in addition to making their lives hell, can use as bargaining chips!"

"Your point being?" Garet asked calmly, not seeing much of a problem with the situation, apart from Jenna's status in it (and Kraden too for that matter).

"My point, is that we have nothing to match that," said Isaac, seemingly on the verge of using his blade. Not that his hand had reached for it, but the intent was evident to even his fellow Valean.

Garet snorted; "Nothing to match that? Have you been paying attention at _all _to what's been going on so far?"

"Of course," said Isaac calmly. "We've faced groups of vermin, all of which were seemingly driven by desperation more than anything else, a horde of brainless zombies and three bandits, two of which were only armed with knives. Hardly a true test of mettle."

Garet would have liked to have pointed out that the vermin in Sol Sanctum moved with purpose, the zombies had numbered around fifty and that the bandits had been accompanied by a man with a custom made sabre, but decided that that wasn't the best counterargument. Still, that didn't mean he was about to let Isaac settle into melodramatic self doubt. Far from it.

"What about all those mock swordfights we had in Vale?" Garet asked. "Surely they count for something."

"Garet, is your brain deprived of oxygen of something!?" Isaac exclaimed. "Those swordfights may have honed our skills to a degree, but what real competition was there!? Felix couldn't last five minutes in any fight before falling down crying and Jenna only used her staff when she was hitting you for the idiocy that you constantly display! I-…"

"Alright, calm down!" exclaimed a voice. With a small flash of white light, Flint appeared between the two adepts, both of which seemingly intent on murder. Although he lacked the facial features that humans possessed, his concern was still evident.

"Stay out of this Flint," Isaac growled, not even giving the djinn a glance, purely focussed on Garet, an individual who, if things carried on the way they did, would have the position of "former friend."

"Trust me, I'd love to," said Flint, displaying a seriousness that was in stark contrast to the usual perkiness the flying critter displayed. "Still, before you continue, you may want to take a glance towards Goma Range."

Although both Isaac and Garet saw no reason to engage in sightseeing, namely looking at a mountain range that had constantly been in their sights ever since leaving Vault, they complied, turning simultaneously to face the range that, they only just realised, was only about four kilometres away. What truly caught their eye, was the fact that yet another group of vermin, this time not only numbering around ten, but including a 'mad one'; vermin that, according to Kraden, were naturally infused with 'passive psynergy', thus making them faster and stronger than the bulk of their brethren.

Garet sighed as he drew this sword, such a prospect not being as exciting as he thought it would have been.

This shit was getting old.

**XXXX**

Three hours, four kilometres and several dead vermin later, Isaac, along with Garet, found himself at the base of Goma Range. Hardly a word had been spoken between the two adepts in this time, but they both knew it could have been worse, that their blood could have stained the snow rather than that of the homicidal rodents that had attacked them.

Still, blood was thicker than nectar, and although the two adepts were not related, shedding blood together and cementing their comradeship may have been preferable to the cool conditions that separated them, a frostiness that matched that of the snow around them. Given all that was at stake, that such friendship was perhaps one of the few advantages that the Valeans possessed over their foes, if any, it prompted the question as to whether such circumstances were thaw like winter's snow or be locked in for eternity.

Such a question may have been pressing to an all-seeing observer, an individual who had Weyard's best interests at heart, but in actual fact it was the last thing on Isaac and Garet's minds. In part, there was a subconscious recognition in both of the boys that dwelling over such strained relations would probably only strain them further and it was best to "forgive and forget", if such a thing was indeed possible. However, there was a far larger, more pressing reason for their lack of thought on the issue;

Goma Range.

It was one of those rare cases in the world where a chain of mountains looked more magnificent up close than from a distance. Slightly unusual, of course, given that snow topped mountains always radiate grandeur from a distance when, up close, all one can see is bland rock, but it was not such snow that had caught the adepts' attention. Why would it? They'd seen enough of the damned white substance to last them a lifetime.

Rather, it was the…perfection that the range gave off. Geology was a subject that even Kraden knew precious little about, but from what he had understood and through him, his students, it was that processes such as uplift had no plan to them, were completely haphazard.

Yet Goma Range, with its smooth walls, flat crags and overall grandeur was an exception. It was as if someone, or something, had come over with a chisel and removed any imperfections, leaving a work of art that, while tailored, was one with nature. It was…magnificent.

Yet even what could have been the greatest work of art that Weyard's sons and daughters had ever produced had not been infallible against nature, given that such a work of art had one perceivable flaw, a flaw that not only reduced its aesthetic quality, but its utilitarian value as well;

Goma Pass had been blocked by a landslide.

"What the hell just happened here?" Garet asked, the question coming out as a growl. Already fuming from the melodramatic idiocy that Isaac had shown earlier, it was no surprise that he was looking at the rubble with the wishful intent to burn it to such an extent that it would be reduced to a liquid state.

"Damned if I know," Isaac murmured, walking over to the pile of rocks that had sealed Goma Pass, the route that, according to the map Los had given them, was the only conventional route through the mountains that hadn't fallen into disrepair. Was the map out of date? Had Los intentionally misled them? Or had the collapse occurred only recently?

The first option was impossible to say; the only locations marked on the map that Isaac and Garet had passed through were Vale and Vault, and somehow Isaac doubted that they could really change with the times as much as nature could. Fall into disrepair maybe, but not simply be removed from the world. And while the two Valeans had yet to visit places marked on the map such as Xian and Tolbi and were not aware of their locations before receiving the map that Los gave them, they had heard of such places from Kraden and were certain that, at the very least, they existed. Or had once done so. Kraden was old enough.

The second option was equally impossible to tell; true, there was nothing about Los that had really suggested that he meant them harm, but then again, there was nothing to suggest that he was truly their friend either. True, he could have probably defeated the two teens easily, his martial prowess superior to theirs, but he _had _requested that Saturos and Menardi be left alive…a sign of allegiance with the thieves perhaps? Or a sign of something more sinister?

Isaac shook his head; in terms of where those involved in this mess stood, it was best to regard Los as a third party, an outsider to the inevitable confrontation with Saturos and Menardi. Kind of like a case of the good, the bad and the unknown.

So what of the third option? Isaac cast his eyes over the rubble, straying to the side of the cliff where it had seemingly originated from. The cliff face certainly led credence to what was visible for all to see, a gouge present in the strata that stood in contrast to the rest of the mountain range. Still, that didn't really answer the question as to whether it was natural or human induced.

"_Flint? What do you make of this?" _Isaac asked, hoping that the Venus djinn would be able to find out what had exactly happened.

No answer.

"_Flint?" _asked Isaac, a little more forcefully. Having been exposed to the djinn's wisecracking for the last week or so, such silence was unusual.

"_Huh?" _came a voice, unusually distant.

"_I asked what you made of this."_

"_Of what?"_

"_The landslide!" _Isaac exclaimed, almost shouting it verbally. _"What the hell is wrong with you!?"_

"_Hmm?" _asked Flint, turning his attention to the landslide (at least Isaac hoped that was the case). "_Oh right. The landslide."_

"_Any idea what caused it?" _Isaac asked.

"_Not really," _Flint murmured. _"There's a faint residue of Venus psynergy, but that could be natural. There's not enough evidence either way."_

"_Wow, you're a great help," _Isaac thought to himself, not caring if Flint heard such thoughts or not.

"Hey Isaac, what's taking ya?" called out Garet impatiently. "Can't you move the rocks or something?"

"Garet, take a look at those boulders," snapped Isaac, frustrated not only at Flint's lack of help, but also at the actual fact that the boulders were there. "Does it look like I can move all that?"

"Um…yes?" Garet asked, not fazed by the fact that several tonnes of rock were blocking Goma Pass.

Isaac sighed; "Garet, you're an idiot."

Garet's eyes flared dangerously, the Mars adept taking a step towards Isaac; "Fine words from someone who can't be bothered to try and clear some rubble."

"Or I'm not stupid enough to try," said Isaac calmly. Noticing that Garet seemed to be going for his sword, Isaac quickly continued speaking;

"Still, it's not all bad. All we have to do is find an alternate route."

"A what?" Garet asked, gazing up at the range. "Isaac, all the routes apart from this one have fallen into disrepair."

"Not entirely true," said Isaac smugly. "I checked the map last night. There's another route about one kilometre east from here, an ancient passage that leads through the interior of the mountains. It's called Goma Cave. It should get us to Bilbin."

Garet raised a finger to his chin, torn between asserting himself over his comrade and going along with his plan. True, Isaac may have been showing himself to be a lazy git, but it would still take time to move all those boulders and probably even longer for the weakling to recover his strength. The end result would be that they would catch up to Saturos and Menardi later rather than sooner, thus forcing Jenna to spend even more time in their clutches. Garet sighed; Isaac could be obstinate sometimes, but he did have a point…

"Alright," Garet said eventually. "But I know I'm going to regret this."

**XXXX**

Garet regretted it.

If he had expressed such sentiments out aloud, one may have been surprised to hear them. After all, around an hour after realising that Goma Pass had been blocked by a landslide, the Mars Adept had found himself at the entrance to Goma Cave, a passage that, as far as he could see, had not been blocked by a landslide of rocks. He was therefore free to progress in his journey, save the world and reap the benefits.

Of course, such thoughts would stem from ignorance, namely not knowing that Garet had climbed one hundred metres up a series of ledges that, while stable, had not been easy to ascend. True, most of Garet's bulk was muscle, but that didn't make him any less heavy. Coupled with the fact that the laws of gravity could be bitchy at times, it was no surprise that, having finally completed the thirty minute climb, the Mars adept was lying on the top ledge breathing heavily, sweat running down his forehead and saturating his clothing.

"You…sure that…was… a…shortcut?" Garet asked in between breaths.

"I never said it was a shortcut, just an alternate route," Isaac answered, lying against the cliff face. He too was exhausted, but due to his lighter physique, not as much as his comrade. It was due to this that he was able to stand up after a few minutes, a contrast to Garet who had progressed from lying on the ground and was now sitting on it.

"Anyway, the cave's right by us," said Isaac, walking over. "We should be able to…"

"What?" asked Garet, getting up. The query soon evaporated in his mind however, once he viewed what Isaac did;

The entrance to the cave was…pathetic, a passage that could only allow one person at a time to enter, its arch only being around four feet. And because of such a lack of grandiose design, it had allowed an ivy bound stump to block it.

"What the hell?" Garet asked. "What in Sol's name is a _log _doing up here?"

Isaac remained silent, yet inwardly asking the same question; what _had _happened? How had a log found its way up here on a ledge one hundred metres above the ground? The remanets of a tree perhaps? Unlikely; from what Isaac remembered from Kraden's lessons, trees dropped their seeds into the soil below, not lob them one hundred metres to a cliff section where the soil would be less productive.

But however likely the alternative was, that someone had placed the log in front of the cave deliberately, it still didn't the answer the question as to _why_. Why would someone block the entrance, especially in light of Goma Pass being blocked? Why would someone seek to stop people going the same route that they were?

"_Because they don't want to followed," _thought Isaac, coming to the conclusion that had been staring him in the face all along…

Saturos and Menardi.

Isaac clenched his fist angrily; true, sealing a cave was perhaps not a crime as great as causing the deaths of innocent people or seeking to return alchemy to the world for their own twisted ends, but the sealing clearly demonstrated that they were still clearly willing to pursue their goal regardless of what such a pursuit might cost the world and those in it. Isaac's gaze narrowed, such callousness clear for all to see.

Apart from Garet of course.

"Well this is just fantastic!" Garet exclaimed. "You're too lazy to move a few boulders so you lead us up here instead! Now thanks to you, we've wasted even more time! Saturos and Menardi are probably on the other side of the continent by now!"

"Garet, is it possible for you to develop an argument without it being inherently flawed!?" Isaac sneered, frustrated not only at the roadblock that the thieves had caused, but also at Garet's inability to see more than two feet in front of him. "I'm too lazy to move boulders, yet have enough willpower to climb one hundred metres?"

Garet snorted; "Sounds like you chose the easier option."

"Brave words from someone who could barely breathe by the end of it." Garet went to make another rebuke but Isaac cut him off; "Anyway, what does it matter? We'll simply move the stump."

Garet made a sarcastic bow; "Be my guest."

Fuming, Isaac went about to do just that. The log was bulky, but Isaac had moved far worse back in Sol Sanctum. Moving a simple block of wood should be no problem.

At least in theory.

With that, he started using his psynergy to move the log, instantly realising that he may have been overconfident. The log was seemingly infused with psynergy also, although what kind Isaac couldn't identify…not earth, not fire, but something in-between Still, that wasn't the main problem. What _was _the main problem was that this psynergy was seemingly resisting Isaac's own, preventing the Venus adept from exerting any influence over the lump of wood.

Five minutes, many taunts and litres of sweat later, Isaac drew off, gasping for breath; "It's no good," he said, attempting to wipe his sweat away. "I can't move it."

"Aww, poor baby," sneered Garet, stepping forward. "Stand aside, Isaac. I'll deal with this."

Isaac was about to point out that Garet's ability with psynergy had never been particularly impressive, with the ability to move things psyenergeticly being no exception. However, such thoughts weren't expressed, given that Garet didn't try to move the log. Instead, he carried out an action far more suited to his nature;

Burn it.

Isaac would have never admitted it, but the display actually impressed him; fire extended from Garet's outstretched hand, engulfing the log and the vines that bound it in Mars's fury, demonstrating the might of fire psynergy, reducing the log to…

Well, not reducing it at all actually.

"What the hell?" Garet murmured, beholding his handicraft, or rather the lack of it. True, the log had been scorched black and the vines removed, but both effects were slowly being reversed. In half a minute, the log had been returned to its former state.

"This isn't natural," Isaac whispered. "Even for Saturos and Menardi."

"So?" Garet asked, trying to maintain an air of confidence. "If psynergy doesn't work, we'll simply hack away at it."

"Garet, it withstood an inferno!" Isaac exclaimed, his friend's slowness getting to him; "Do you really think a _sword _is going to do anything?"

"Not from your hand at least."

Isaac sighed; it was a strange irony that while Garet had at first been reluctant to come up to the Cave Entrance, he was now seemingly willing to stay up here and do whatever it took to enter said cave. Pride, rather than rationality, was dominating the Mars adept's brain, or at least what passed for one.

"Fine, go ahead and do that," said Isaac neutrally, glancing down at the bottom of the cliff face and feeling tempted to give in to vertigo to remove himself from this idiocy; "Let me know when you've agreed to stop wasting time.

Garet's eyes flared dangerously; "Waste time? That's a bit rich from the person who led us up here!"

"Garet, is your mind as dead as those boulders blocking the pass!?" Isaac exclaimed. "If I'd spent time trying to shift them, Saturos and Menardi would have already unleashed alchemy by the time I was through."

"So basically you're either lazy or incompetent?" Garet sneered.

"Better brain than brawn," Isaac answered simply. "Which is more than I can say for you, you…"

"You…what?" Garet asked, seeing that Isaac had trailed off for some reason, seemingly at a loss for words. Not only that, but his line of sight was no longer on him, instead, his gaze going past the Mars adept, his face registering a state of surprise. Despite all his misgivings, he followed suit, immediately understanding why Isaac was surprised, considering that he was viewing one of the last people he expected to see, an individual which, for all he knew, could be the last Jupiter adept in the world…

"You…want to move the stump, right?" asked Ivan timidly.

**XXXX**

"Damit, DAMIT, **DAMIT!**"

Not exactly the most eloquent display of frustration, but for Los, it summed up such feelings adequately. After all, when one rides to the Goma Range after having faced mounted bandits and accompanied by a Jupiter adept who…well, best not to there, having the pass that can take you north blocked was the last thing you wanted.

"_How the hell did this happen?" _Los wondered, gazing over the boulders and even larger pieces of rock that had sealed up the pass. "_If the pass was on the verge of collapse, I surely would have known about it…right?"_

He shook the thoughts away, instead falling into the distraction that reflection brought. Perhaps waiting in Vault may not have been such a bad idea. True, Ivan had said that the bridge had collapsed, making the waters of the Rasoul River there nearly impassable, the smooth base of the river, coupled with its deepness, making it dangerous to cross.

Not that this had been an issue for Los before, and he was bitterly aware of it. Without truly thinking, he'd headed for the northern route from the start, supposedly wanting the solitude, but actually intent on heading to Imil, taking Nalu's words to heart, ready to find the-…

Los shook it off; _"I'm not going to Imil," _he reminded himself. _"I'm simply going to head east from Bilbin, deal with any adept I come across, get a promotion for my trouble, confront Marcel and-…"_

He trailed off; confronting Marcel over his account of the events in Prox…didn't that imply that he believed Nalu to an extent? A few days ago, he would have thought not; his rescuing of Ivan, while the right thing to do (well, in a sense), was really sparked by a case of déjà vu from Marcel's version of events, the act of malicious individuals bearing down on a good and righteous person.

Well, Ivan may not have been good and righteous but even so…

Los shook his head; the Kalayan servant may have been an individual who bore a phyric, yet noticeable similarity to someone that he and the rest of the Rouge Sages despised, but his presence had allowed less self reflection and recollection, thus allowing Nalu's words, and the idea of following his advice, to slip to the back of Los's mind.

"_He can't be trusted," _Los thought to himself, perhaps only for self assurance. _"I don't have time to make detours to winter locked, backwater towns. I've got more important things to do."_ His gaze swept over the landslide; _"Like getting to Bilbin for example."_

Los wasn't exactly the person to say no to risk, but he wasn't suicidal either, despite what the drinking bout back in Vale may have demonstrated. As such, he was not willing to try crossing the boulders; one wrong step could see him wound up with a broken ankle, a prospect that, with the unstable debris, was more likely than he cared for.

Resisting the urge to go on another "damit!" session or the use of even more colourful language, Los considered his options; walking back to Vault and waiting for the bridge to be fixed was perhaps an option, but one that he wasn't particularly fond of; having initially been overcome with confidence as to his ability to cross the unstable ground, Los had sent the horse he'd taken from the Lunpan soldiers galloping back to Vault, hoping that it could have a better life than that of a military steed. As such, he was stuck on foot and a week's walk back to Vault was not particularly appealing, especially since there was the distinct possibility that Dodonpa's bandits would be out in force after he realised that the group sent to apprehend Ivan had failed.

"_But what other option is there?" _Los wondered. _"The pass is blocked is blocked and all the others are in an even worse state. There's no other route except…"_

Los slowly glanced to the east, the route that would take him to Goma Cave. Assuming that the legends were true, travelling through those tunnels would be tantamount to suicide. And even if they weren't, Los wasn't particularly keen on doing so; caves, mystic or not, were dangerous and there was the added fact that Ivan was travelling through it. Los still wasn't in the market for company, especially that of the psynergetic kind. And while being the first human to travel through the cave in 2,600 years, Los wasn't inclined to risk his neck to reap the benefits.

But what other option was there? Vault would take too long in both travel and the time it took to repair its bridge, and travelling through the pass was too reckless. Sighing, Los studied himself; leather armour, two shortswords that he was beginning to wonder if they were really suited for him (he wouldn't be surprised, he'd never had a choice when it came to choosing weapons, having trained with them since he was five) and a pistol with only two shots.

"_And to think this started as a simple trip to pay off that fat innkeeper," _Los thought to himself. _"I guess this proves that one has to expect the unexpected."_

Silently, he made his choice. Tightening his belt, loosening his scabbards and pulling back the lock on the pistol, the traveller made his way to Goma Cave, resolved to get to the lands of Bilbin and then…well, he'd decide once he reached it.

If the legends were true, if he truly _was _walking into a mirror of hell, its minions would find Los ready.

**XXXX**

Isaac was not sure where the phrase déjà vu came from (probably some ancient language) and despite having a liking for knowledge on the general level, he'd never bothered to inquire. It was one of those phrases that had simply made its way into common language, kind of like "by the gods!", the phrase standing in contrast that Sol was the only god that Vale really knew of. Perhaps there had been other deities that had been worshipped in the past, but it wasn't something that Kraden had really ever touched upon.

Right now however, Isaac certainly did want to know where the word had originated from, given that it was now slapping him in the face. What with his current situation, with Ivan mysteriously appearing behind them, despite saying that he'd be going to Lunpa, it was reminiscent of Felix's reappearance in Sol Sanctum's Star Chamber, an experience that Isaac didn't want repeated. _Ever_.

Still, that didn't stop the fact that Ivan was standing here eerily and that déjà vu was becoming an unpleasant concept.

"Ivan? What are you doing here?" Garet asked. An obvious question perhaps, but one that was ultimately necessary. "Weren't you heading to Lunpa?"

Regret clouded Ivan's features, making Garet almost guilty for asking; "I…couldn't get into Lunpa."

It was now Garet's turn to be uneasy, casting a look that conveyed this to Isaac. Isaac wasn't completely forthcoming though, his look of unease matching Ivan's, such unease stemming from the fact that he'd have to turn down the inevitable request for help that would come from the-…

"Don't get me wrong, I didn't come here to ask for help!" exclaimed Ivan, throwing up his hands in defence. "I…I came to help you two."

"Help us?" Garet asked. "But what about-…"

"Hammet can wait," said Ivan firmly, noticeably leaving out the word "master." "Your task is far more important than servant-master bonds."

"But-…"

"I read your minds back in Vault, I saw what happened in Vale, what couldhappen to the world!" Ivan snapped, catching both Isaac and Garet off guard with his conviction, something that he hadn't demonstrated back in Vault. His face softened; "Please. If I can't help Hammet, let me at least help you two."

Garet once again looked towards Isaac for direction, willing to let his friend, despite his recent faulty decisions, handle the one that was presented to them. Isaac sighed mentally, not liking the choice that was presented to him; on one hand, Ivan would be a useful asset, given his power over the wind and his ability to read minds. Also, he was an interesting individual, one that, if he hadn't already done so, would quickly fit into Isaac's shortening list of friends. Garet was being irrationally, Felix had betrayed Vale and all it stood for, Jenna…

On the other, Ivan was younger than they were, not as experienced in fighting and the servant of what Isaac made out to be the wealthiest merchant lord in all of Angara. If anything happened to the little squirt, Isaac would probably have to deal with more than just guilt.

Isaac sighed, appreciating the paradox; he understood himself well enough to understand that when it came to conversation he was reactionary, not being one to start a dialogue but, unlike Felix, not instinctively intent on breaking away from it. When it came to calling the shots in this little insane adventure however, he preferred to plan things by his own discretion, not to react to things that came his way. Still, if Ivan was merely going to be the first of many such choices presented to him, Isaac appreciated that he'd probably have to start breaking out of the mould. Now was as good a time as any.

"Sure," Isaac murmured non-commitedly. "You can tag along."

"Ditto," said Garet, sizing the initiative that Isaac had given him and giving Ivan a 'friendly' slap on the back to prove it.

"Thanks guys," said Ivan, resisting the urge to rub his back where Garet's hand had landed. "You won't regret this."

"Good," said Garet. "You can prove this by moving the log there."

Ivan's gaze shifted to the piece of wood that had blocked the cave's entrance, the piece of wood that had, for some reason, set Isaac and Garet at each other's throats. A small, somewhat rebellious part of his mind asked why they were asking him to do it when they could probably do it themselves, but he shrugged him off; if Isaac and Garet were going to fully trust, he'd probably have to prove his worth fully, the log being just the thing to do so. Also, he was a servant. He was used to following orders.

"Garet, what are you doing?" Isaac hissed.

"Huh?"

"Neither of us can move that log, and letting Ivan fail isn't going to…oh."

Both Valeans watched in awe as Ivan used his Jupiter psynergy to cast a whirlwind, its force concentrated over the woodblock. With astonishing swiftness, the vines were removed, caught up in the miniature hurricane and sent hurtling down to the ground below. All a prelude however, to the less swift yet equally impressive display of the log being lifted off the ground and hurled downwards to the constricting flora that had once bound it.

Isaac and Garet stared in awe even after the display was over, unable to comprehend what had just happened; how had Ivan been able to deal with the log so easily when not only had Isaac failed to move it, but when it had also withstood Garet's fire psynergy? True, Ivan's psynergetic prowess was impressive, perhaps even exceeding that of the Valeans, but even so…

Isaac shook it off, facing Ivan, who was looking at them quizzically; "Nice," Isaac said simply. Not exactly the most eloquent compliment, but it seemed to pay off given that Ivan seemed to be slightly less puzzled;

"No problem," he said. He gestured to the cave; "Anyway, you said back in Vault that you were headed to Bilbin. Might as well get going." With that, he walked into the darkness of the cave.

"Since when did he take the role of leader?" Garet whispered to Isaac.

"Hell if I know, but he's welcome to it," answered the Venus adept, still having trouble comprehending what had just happened.

Garet smirked; "Good choice."

With that, Garet walked after Ivan, leaving Isaac to follow. At least that's how it would have worked in theory, if Isaac had not simply just stood there;

"_That stump wasn't natural in either existence or location," _Isaac thought to himself. _"It withstood whatever Garet or I threw at it, yet Ivan was able to remove it easily." _He shook his head; how had it happened? Was the log distinctly strong against some forms of psynergy and weak against others? Under normal circumstances Isaac would have appreciated the absurdity of pondering about such a simple object, but given the circumstances, Isaac was not inclined to see much humour, what with freaky pieces of wood, the fact that he and Garet were having their friendship strained when unity was needed most and the unanswered question as to how Ivan had been able to catch up to them so quickly.

"_Any ideas Flint?" _Isaac asked. _"Were you able to detect anything weird psyenergeticly, like when we entered Vault?"_

No answer.

"_Flint?" _asked Isaac again, this time a little more forcefully.

Silence.

"_FLINT!"_

"_**WHAT!?"**_

As forceful as Isaac's third attempt to get the djinn's attention had been, the flying fur ball's had left it in the shade, so powerful that Isaac felt as if someone had smashed a rock on his head. Not quite the case, but with what felt like a headache drawing on, it might as well have been.

"_What is it?" _Flint asked, sounding extremely irritated.

"_I asked what you made out of the log and Ivan's psynergy," _Isaac asked, with irritation to match that of the djinn. He began casting healing psynergy onto his forehead in the vain hope that it would reduce the pain that the pounding in his head was causing. Given the lacklustre results, "vain" was a suitable word.

"_Huh?" _Flint asked. _"Who showed up?"_

"_Ivan!" _Isaac shouted. _"He removed the log blocking the entrance less than five minutes ago!"_

"_Really?" _Flint asked, his tone that of an individual who's trying to sound interested but failing miserably. _"That was nice of him."_

"_Flint I…" _Isaac trailed off, aware that any threat to Flint while he was linked with his mind was useless. The entire conversation reeked of yet another case of déjà vu, and Isaac had experienced enough of that for one day.

"_Fine, I give up," _he murmured, rubbing his forehead and heading towards the cave entrance as he did so.

Flint didn't hear a word, nor did he take any notice of Isaac's entry into the cave. Rather, his mind was occupied with one single thing, something that had kept him occupied ever since they'd neared the Goma Range. Something that had become increasingly intense as they drew closer, prompting him to shut off from the outside world. A faint, familiar psynergetic signature…

"_Is it possible?" _Flint wondered, letting the seed of hope slither into his very spirit.

"_Could she be here?"_

**XXXX**

**A/N**

_Ok, yet another long wait for this chapter, but this could become a regular occurrence, so no fanfare. Anyway, as I stated, there were a few retcons and adjustments that I had to make, which accounts in part for the long wait. Anyway, here's said list;_

_-Prologue and Chapter 1 revised._

_-Los's travel time to Vale has been corrected to 2 months, thus keeping in key with geography and distance._

_-Vani's dialogue on Vale and Dale has been altered to better fit fanon history._

_-The 'leader djinn' names have been altered to;_

_Atum (Venus): Egyptian god of the earth, later became associated with the sun (a little tie-in with his interaction with Sol)._

_Sethlans (Mars): Alternate name for Hephaestus, the Greek god of the forge. I wanted to use Hephaestus from the start, but Heph had already taken it._

_Anu (Jupiter): Sumerian sky god._

_Tethys (Mercury): Greek sea titaness._

_-The Valean kid Sean is far too minor to really bother with a retcon. I'll probably include reference to the parallel, but as a simple blunder, "retroactive continuity" is probably too extreme._

_-Nephlim's dialogue to Kite has been altered subtlety. Ohh, plot hint._

_-"Elemental War" has been changed to "Alchemy Wars." Based on game info, it seems unlikely that there was one single war over alchemy, but was instead based on constant strife to control alchemy._

_-Giving one of The Five a female name (Matsu, Chinese goddess of the sea), was a pretty stupid act. Let's face it, males, especially those clad fully in armour and all 'evil looking' can convey menace better. Hence the conversion to Triton (Greek god who was the son of Poseidon). _

_I know that we technically aren't allowed to leave review responses in fics, but I've decided to do the closest thing. Instead of yakking on about ideas, drafts, etc. (like that giant vermin idea for Sol Sanctum), I'll simply answer whatever's asked, saving people from boredom. However, while I'll respond as per the system, I'll answer the question for all in the next chapter via "issue response."_

_Kind of the same thing, but from experience, when one question is asked in a review, others rarely ask the same thing, even if it's a blatant issue/error. Kind of like instinct. Meh. That's just me._

_Ok, I THINK that's all. Anyway, that's it. Don't be surprised if you don't get another update till next year. HSC sucks._


	26. The Light in the Darkness

**Golden Sun: The Broken Seal**

**Chapter 24: The Light in the Darkness**

Irony was one of the rare factors of one's existence that had the potential to be humorous, sickening or in some occasions, both at the same time. Pleasant irony might come from something like a snowball fight, where one may miss their target only to hit another equally valid one. Sickening irony could come from studying for one of Kraden's tests, only to find that you'd misheard the topic being studied (something that Garet could relate to). As for the third option…well, such circumstances tended to be extreme, those experiencing them few and far between.

Walking through Goma Cave, Isaac knew that he was experiencing irony in a sense, yet with a splitting headache and a general sense of unease, he couldn't have cared what kind of irony it was. Although concentrating on the here and now was a characteristic of Garet and one that Isaac wasn't particularly keen on following, he had to admit that it did have its uses in keeping his mind off the throbbing in his forehead that his attempts to heal had done nothing to allay, drawing his attention to the more pressing issues. It was funny how even the most uncouth of people could have shards of worth.

"_Yet another shard of irony," _Isaac thought as he reflected on the first shard of many, that as a Venus adept under a mountain, he should feel at home. At ease. Still, that wasn't the case and having taken up the rear of the trio as they walked through the cave, seeing no reason to change such status, Isaac reflected why.

The first cause of his unease came from the knowledge that a demon lurked in his head, one who was liable to send him into a coma if he had another outburst like the one he'd had outside the cave entrance a few hours ago. Isaac grimaced as he remembered Garet's inability to get along with the Venus djinn, an animosity that Isaac generally considered unfounded. Considering Flint's mental outburst and his unapologetic nature however, Isaac had to admit that Garet probably had the right idea.

The Valean winced as the other two boys burst into fits of laughter up ahead, no doubt due to one of Garet's bad jokes. Isaac wouldn't have minded under normal circumstances, especially considering that Ivan seemed like the type that had experienced little laughter in his life, but with the 'music of the soul' being drastically out of key and cutting through Isaac's forehead like a knife through butter, it was something that the Valean could have done without.

"_Guess this proves the saying that silence is golden," _mused Isaac bitterly as Garet continued to flog a dead horse. Indeed, silence was something that the teenager was beginning to yearn for, a desire to be free from piercing laughter and djinn that refused to exist in the here and now, lashing out at you if they were brought back to reality.

"_And to think there could be more of the flying rodents out there," _Isaac thought, remembering the Wise One's words back in Sol Sanctum;

* * *

_"**The djinn have returned," **said the Wise One, unconcerned by the rising magma and rocks falling from above. Still, it was hardly surprising. The majesty the boulder emanated was so…grand. It was as if he had the world itself under his command, the very essence of existence at his…well, fingertips if he had any. _

_"Djinn?" asked Isaac, still unable to get over the fact that there was a flying boulder that was simultaneously talking and holding back an eruption. Even the shock of Felix's return and Jenna's kidnapping had already faded._

_"**Elemental spirits, each in tune with one of the four elements," **the Wise One answered, his, no, **its **deep voice reverberating across the chamber, the earth itself seemingly moving.** "Once again, they have returned to help mankind." **_

* * *

Isaac actually did snort this time, the sound only going unnoticed by it coinciding with another bout of laughter from Garet and Ivan-something about Garet somehow convincing Kay that Aaron had actually been responsible for crushing her flowers and thus worming out of another verbal beratement session. In truth, Isaac experienced a flicker of humor in memory of the experience, but it was overshadowed by a different type. 

"_The djinn have returned to help mankind?" _Isaac wondered. _"Either their method is some twisted of self improvement or the Wise One is beginning to lose his marbles."_ While Isaac wouldn't have been surprised if it was the second case, not sure how much confidence he could give a cryptic boulder that sent young boys after thieves and murderers in order to prevent alchemy's return, the Venus adept didn't dwell on it, unease once again trickling back into his being.

It was memories of Sol Sanctum that prompted such a return; looking at the passages of the cave, Isaac could not help but appreciate the similarities, how for a route that was the only one left that led through the mountain range apart from the now sealed Goma Pass, it was…well, it was beautiful really. Smooth walls that glistened in the flickering light due to a high moisture content (at least based on the texture when Isaac had felt it), a crystal clear stream that flowed calmly by the path… It was like Sol Sanctum all over again.

And _that _was what made Isaac uneasy. Sol Sanctum had been an artificial structure built in the days of the Golden Age of Man, a relic of the past that had been designed to withstand the slow decay of time. Based on his memories of Sol's temple, its white marble walls, glowing torches, violet tiles and entire chambers dedicated to the sun and moon, Isaac could appreciate that Sol Sanctum had represented perfection, a type of eloquence that had been lost forever as part of the sacrifice made in the sealing of alchemy, thus saving the world from destruction._" So why should Goma Cave get the same treatment?" _Isaac wondered, so wrapped up in his pondering that the latest bout of laughter from his fellow adepts washed over him completely. _"Walls that show no sign of erosion, a pathway that's completely smooth, a stream that runs parallel to it… Either this cave is immune to the effects of time or…" _Isaac trailed off. With everything that had happened in recent times, he didn't want to consider _that _possibility.

Unfortunately, reality wasn't making it easy for him, given what was casting the light throughout the passage, what was seemingly evident to Isaac alone…

Yet even that wasn't the main issue which was making the Valean uneasy, unease having begun as soon as the adepts had entered the cave, unease that had been at the back of Isaac's mind even before he'd noticed the apparent maintenance of the tunnel. Overall, it was a sense of unease that stood in contrast to everything that Sol Sanctum had made Isaac feel, a feeling of _wrongness_ that permeated the cave's stone, the very roots of the mountain. While Sol Sanctum had drawn Isaac into its depths, the result often being visions of some kind, everything about Goma Range made Isaac want to leave immediately, to put as much distance between himself and the mountain range.

"_But why though?" _the adept wondered, knowing that he'd asked himself that question before and would probably do so again. Isaac knew that a connection with rock wasn't as strange as one might think; adepts were often attuned with their own element and/or sensitive to its counterpart, Garet's hydrophobia being a perfect example. At least in the 'wrongness' that the stone was seeped in, Isaac could forgive Garet and Ivan for being ignorant, given their elements of fire and wind respectively. Still, that didn't place the teenager any closer to finding the answer to the question, and all things considered, he wasn't sure if he wanted to. The feeling was eerily familiar… the same feeling that Isaac had when he faced the zombies…

"Isaac, did you here me?"

Isaac blinked a few times, unsure as to where the question had come from. Regaining his bearings, he guessed that it was Ivan who had asked it, concern etched on his features. After all, considering that Garet was looking down at a chasm, the Mars adept was hardly the likely-…

"Isaac?"

"Hmm?" the Venus adept responded, turning to face Ivan.

"I asked if you were alright," Ivan said, slightly more forceful than before, but still with a timid tone overall. "You haven't said anything since we entered the cave."

"_And whose fault is that?" _Isaac wondered bitterly, remembering Flint's mental backlash.

"No, nothing's wrong," the Valean lied. "Should there be?"

Ivan shrugged. "Not really. You were just unusually quiet."

If Isaac really had been alright, he would have pointed out that it was rather hypocritical of Ivan to point out such things, not to mention that silence was pretty much a given when it came to his interaction. Still, considering that he _wasn't_ alright, the Valean put on a fake smile.

"I'm fine, don't worry," he murmured. He looked at his other friend, "What's up with you Garet?" Isaac asked, noticing how tense the Mars adept seemed as he stared down at the abyss in front of him.

No answer.

"Garet?" asked Isaac, a little more forcibly.

Slowly but surely, Garet turned away from the chasm, looking at his fellow adepts with fake calm. "Nothing," he half whispered. "Which way should we go?"

Isaac was caught off guard, not only from the surprise at seeing Garet so unsettled but due to only just realizing that they'd approached a T junction, the chasm lying straight ahead with a choice of heading left or right.

"Right," said Isaac, wanting to be removed from the unease that resulted from Garet being uneasy himself. After all, for Garet to be unsettled about anything would have to be a first. With a nod, Garet strode off, not noticing that his fellow adepts stood and watched.

"What's up with him?" Ivan asked Isaac. "He was fine until we reached the chasm."

"Why are you asking me?" Isaac murmured, walking after Garet. "You're the one who can read minds.

"What!?" Ivan exclaimed. "I promised not to do that back in Vault, I'm not about to-…"

"I was being sarcastic."

Ivan fell silent, causing Isaac to smirk despite the _wrongness _that permeated the cave. The Kalayan servant may have become more sociable since they'd first met him in Vault, but he still had a long way to go, both in social skills and, based on what he was seemingly only aware of, observational skills…

"_Not that I can talk," _Isaac mused, reflecting on his inadequacies in hiding his emotions. He looked back at Ivan. _"Maybe it's time to cut to the chase…"_

"Ivan, how much do you know about Goma Range?"

The Jupiter adept raised an eyebrow. "Pardon?"

"You've passed through Goma Pass before right?" Isaac asked, not knowing nor caring whether Garet was aware that he was being left out of the conversation. "You must have heard some tales of the region's history."

Ivan shrugged uneasily. "Not much. I was never one to pester Master Hammet. After all, I-…"  
"Ivan, answer me this," growled Isaac, causing the servant to recoil and even Garet to stop his brisk stride and glance back. "Reassure me that I'm not going insane."

"Um, sure…" said the Jupiter adept slowly, wondering if it wasn't a case of "going insane" but a case of "gone insane," given the almost fanatical look in Isaac's eyes.

"This place, if it was ever inhabited, would have been abandoned for thousands of years, the recent collapse of Goma Pass being testament to this.

"Your point being?" Garet asked slowly, making it clear that he wanted to keep moving. Isaac turned to face him, his sky blue eyes blazing.

"My point, Garet, a point that I'm the only one to have noticed, is that a series of tunnels should not feature lit torches."

* * *

Light… 

Light had been brought to her realm, much against her will.

No-one defied her will. _No-one._

Justice would be dispensed on the one who had brought such fire, not to mention those who dwelt in its baleful glow.

The adept of earth, the one who could sense her power…

The adept of fire, who could sense his kindred spirit…

The adept of wind, who had begun to delve into friendship…

The lone wanderer, the one who knew of her existence…

Death, slow and final, would greet them all in the end.

* * *

"Root?" 

"Hmm?"

"What are you doing exactly?"

Root sighed, gripping his psy staff and began toying with the idea of incinerating Tinker where he stood, a fantasy that had popped into his head many times before and without a doubt, would do so again. _"Was it written into the books of fate that elder brothers be slaves to their younger ones?" _he wondered, beginning to spin his staff, giving him something to do rather than actually use it. _"Or did the cosmic order go out of whack at some point? After all, I-…"_

"Well?"

Root's shoulders sagged, turning to face his younger brother. A vein throbbing in his temple, Root could see that Tinker definitely matched the younger sibling stereotype. Blue robes rather than the more venerable purple his kind wore, bright, sparkly yellow eyes with spirit that should have faded away by now, clutching his blunderbuss like…well, like someone who actually used such a weapon in this day and age.

"Tinker, don't you have some rocks to shoot at or something?" Root asked, glad of the elevation that the ledge he was standing on gave him.

"Nah, not really," the little runt replied, grinning like a delusional twat. "You told me to save ammo, remember?"

"Yes, I do remember," Root snarled, recalling how Tinker had gone wild against a pack of dirges a few days ago, wasting valuable ammunition on the most minor threat that the cave system could provide. "I took me days to craft enough shrapnel to replace it."

Tinker grinned sheepishly, twirling the firearm around as if to imitate his elder brother's earlier actions. Scowling, Root turned back to his task, hoping that the dweeb behind him wasn't going to spurt out any more nonsense. It was a long shot, but Root had learnt to hold onto hope.

"_Right, like the hope that Goma Cave would never again be disturbed by man?" _he wondered bitterly, concentrating on the cave face that he'd been examining for the last few hours, or more accurately, what was left of it.

It had come as a shock to both of the brothers that an entire section of cliff wall could collapse just like that. When they'd first heard the sound, even Root had jumped, clutching his psy staff in a manner that he usually reserved for fights with vermin. Tinker had wanted to go home there and then, but Root, being made of sterner stuff, insisted that they check it out.

The source was…surprising, to say the least. A huge gaping hole had opened up in the cave walls, courtesy of an entire section of cliff collapsing to block one of the passes through the Goma Range. At first he couldn't believe it, unable to comprehend that the Goma Range, the place where he had been born and where he knew he would die could give way like that. True, he'd seen some horrific acts in his time, virtually all of them due to vermin or in the rare occasion, the handiwork of the Haunting Queen, but somehow, none of them in his thirty-three years of life compared to this. Still, looking out into the outside world, land where Sol cast his benevolent glow, the source could not be mistaken…

Humans.

True, Root couldn't be exactly sure, what with being situated hundreds of meters above the ground, but there was no mistaking the physique of the six individuals who were traveling down below, individuals that made him want to jump down and take vengeance three thousand years overdue.

"_Probably vengeance a few hours overdue also," _Tinker thought bitterly, gazing back at the scar in the cave wall as his psy staff made a humming sound. _"What with the brutality their kind is capable of on the living, it's hardly a surprise that they'd do the same to the natural world."_

Feeling older than he really was, Root slowly turned back to his twenty-eight year old brother, still two years from adulthood.

"Venus psynergy," Root declared, showing the orb on the tip of his staff as proof, the yellow glow evident. "Seems that there's still adepts around in mankind."

"Isn't that impossible?" Tinker asked.

Root shrugged. "Hell if I know." He jumped down off the ledge, facing his sibling. "Hell if I care either."

As naive as Tinker could be, he could appreciate that his brother was not in the mood to discuss the issue any further. After all, one didn't slump down against a ledge and pulling out some mushrooms, uncaring of the dirt that that his purple robes were gathering. There were times when Tinker accused his brother of being a pessimist, but considering what had transpired, he could understand.

"_Such is our lot I suppose," _Tinker thought, lying down against the adjacent cave wall. _"Such is the life of a gnome."_

Gnomes...a race that was a mystery to even themselves. A race that both Root, with his earth brown skin and amber eyes and Tinker with his orange skin and yellow eyes belonged to. A race that bordered on extinction…

Despite being a long lived race, reaching adulthood at the age of thirty and having a maximum lifespan of around 150 years, much of gnomish history had faded into the currents of time, never to be retrieved. It was believed that the diminutive humanoids had originated in the Goma Range and/or the lands around it, as evidenced by cave paintings in the depths of the mountain range, a trait in habitation that had never been broken.

"_It shows too…" _thought Root bitterly, pulling out his own mushrooms. The fungi crumpled in his hands as he twisted it harder than was necessary, reflecting how far his race had fallen since they were unified under the leadership of Goma the Great, the mountain range bearing his name. Or the other way round. Historical accounts varied on the subject.

Root snorted as he remembered such debates, half of them ending with the debaters lunging at each others throats. _"It must be in our blood," _the midget reflected, remembering how, at least according to what accounted for historians these days, the gnomes had been caught up in internal conflict before, a civil war that heralded their emergence into the Third Age. With-…

"Hey Root, you hear that?" Tinker asked, rising to his feet and clutching his blunderbuss.

"Hmm?" Root asked, still mulling over gnome history. From what he remembered, the Third Age had been one of the ascension of man, an ascension that gnomish kind could either reap the benefits of or continue their traditional isolation.

"Root?" asked the gnome's brother, this time a bit more forcefully.

Tinker's sibling remained silent, his mind only operating in the melodrama department. In the end the isolationists had lost out, although had been granted a compromise that while gnomish civilization would open itself up to trade, any other form of contact with man or any other species for that matter would be limited.

"_And it worked too," _Root thought sadly, remembering how the so-called 'Golden Age of Man' could be applied to gnomes as well. _"At least it worked right up to-…"_

"**Root!"**

"**What!?" **Root asked, glaring at his younger brother.

"Listen," whispered Tinker, shifting his eyes towards the passage that would take them to the southern entrance. Following suit, Root could hear what had caught his brother's attention…

Footsteps.

Slowly rising to his feet and taking his psy staff with him, Root did a quick calculation-about half a second between each footfall. Too slow for a vermin, or even a member of his fellow species. That only left one possibility, a possibility that until recently, Root would have considered impossible…

A human.

"Tinker, take cover," Root whispered, gesturing his neck to a nearby rock. Without protest his brother obliged, arming his blunderbuss.

"Don't bother," Root murmured, seeing such preparations.

"What?" Tinker asked indignantly.

"I want to take the honors for myself," Root whispered, warming up his psy staff, appreciating the feeling of warmth in his hands.

"Vengeance three-thousand years overdue should be done by a gnomish weapon after all."

* * *

Psynergy… 

It was building up in her realm, driven by righteous hatred. After all, when usurpers and murders entered your kingdom, it was to be expected. Such emotions were appropriate in these circumstances.

Not to mention that said psynergy was traceable also.

Perfect.

* * *

It was undeniable that language changed with the times. Such changes could be found everyday, with members of an older generation sometimes having trouble communicating with those of younger ones, using terms and phrases that were no longer "with it." 

Yet some terms did remain, Isaac knowing that "déjà vu" was one of them. Such a word was not of the common language of course, a language which, according to Kraden, all of Weyard's sentient creatures shared. If there ever were dialects limited to a particular group or species, they'd long since faded. For all Isaac knew, déjà vu could have been uttered by beret wearing, wine drinking frogs or something.

Yet déjà vu, unlike his experiences outside Goma Cave, was not the word he would use to describe his situation right now. With Ivan looking around in embarrassed perplexion and Garet simply looking uneasy, another word had come to Isaac's mind, a word that described how he was feeling…

_Schadenfreude_-the feeling of elation that comes from the suffering of others.

Isaac knew that such a feeling was not something he should embrace and was glad that it didn't conform one hundred percent to the feeling of…well, something like pride, but with a snideness that he was experiencing. For what felt like the past five minutes, ever since he had mentioned the lit torches, Ivan had been looking up and down the stone passages, only having just realized that the torches were lit. As for Garet…well, Isaac wasn't sure. He simply stood against the wall, his slant making it clear that he wanted to move on.

With Isaac the only one fully in control of himself, the only one who had noticed the torches lit and thus embarrassing his friends in this revelation, the Venus adept had schadenfreude in buckets.

"This makes no sense," Ivan said eventually, repeating himself for the fifth time. "How could I have not noticed these torches?"

"Search me," Isaac murmured, although had an idea as to the answer. Ivan was the type of person who, from what he could tell in Vault, the type of person who kept in his own world, content to read the minds of people without interacting with them. It was perhaps fitting in a way that when he engaged in conversation the rest of the world would be shut off from him. That was life was like for a dreamer.

"Anyway, that's not really the issue here," Isaac continued. "What _is _the issue is that we're in an abandoned cave with lit torches." He smiled faintly. "Certainly raises some interesting possibilities."

"Hardly," Garet murmured, his fellow adepts turning to him in surprise. "Anyone could have come down here and lit them."

Isaac raised an eyebrow. "Garet, the entrance to the tunnel was blocked."

"So? They could have sealed it themselves."

Ivan stepped forward. "Perhaps, but that doesn't explain why someone would take the time and effort to light _every single torch available_."

Garet looked around uneasily, followed suit by his friends. Sure enough, every single torch was lit in the hallway, half of them unnecessarily. If someone had gone down these passages and needed illumination, he or she had gone overboard. Only one out of every three torches would have to be lit to provide sufficient illumination, perhaps even less.

"So someone got a little flame happy," said Garet hastily. "Besides, what does it matter? The torches are going out anyway."

Isaac and Ivan turned to follow his gaze, seeing that Garet was partly right. However, considering that the torches were going out one at a time from both ends of the passageway, "snuffed" out would have been a better term.

"What's happening?" Ivan whispered, clutching his staff.

Isaac remained quiet, not knowing the answer. All he knew was that the feeling of _wrongness_ was growing in intensity, that the fading light was not natural, the light fading from all sides…

…that the encroaching darkness was mere prelude as to what was coming…

* * *

Los was uneasy. 

It was a feeling that he'd become used to over the last few weeks, a feeling that had begun when the seal on alchemy had been broken. After all, when the world was threatened with the return of such a force, with a return to conflict at best and worldwide destruction at worst (or even worse things…), to be uneasy was pretty much a given. Considering that Kite's death, a form of alliance with adepts, the freaky appearance of Nalu and the information he provided, Los was surprised that he hadn't descended into hysteria.

Goma Cave was no exception to this trend, Los' unease having increased even further. After all, one did not walk into an abandoned series of tunnels that housed the ruins of gnomish civilization and expect torches to be lit throughout the cave system, anymore than the faint trace of psynergetic residue in the air.

"_What the hell happened here?" _the traveler wondered, his right hand clutching the hilt of one of his shortswords. _"I'm walking through the ruins of an ancient civilization. People don't just light torches in order to welcome travelers."_

Or perhaps they did, considering it was at this point that a fireball shot down the tunnel, Los diving to one side, taking cover behind a rock.

"_I knew I should have taken the right path," _Los thought, remembering his choice to turn left when he'd approached the T junction. _"Still, I knew the risks of traveling through here, or at least remembered them when facing the landslide."_ He glanced up the passageway, the light providing ample illumination to see two diminutive figures, each of them hiding behind a rock.

"_Oh hell…"_

"Not very sporting to fire on an unarmed opponent," Los called out, toying with the idea of drawing his pistol. He decided against it-there were only two shots left, having wasted the first on Nalu. There was no point in wasting them on tunnel dwellers.

"What do you know of fair play?" a voice shouted, sounding fairly deep, yet different to that of a human. "Why are you even in these tunnels?"

"I dunno, the light show looked inviting," Los called back, deciding it was best to maintain a degree of confidence. "Lit torches and all, I thought that-…"

"We'd never do a light show for the likes of you!" came a different voice, slightly lighter than the first, but still similar. "What makes you think you have the right to-…"

"Had to take a detour," Los murmured, remembering the landslide at Goma Pass. "I was hoping that I could gain passage through here instead." He leaned slightly out towards the passage. "Am I allowed to?"

A shot from what sounded like a blunderbuss was the only response.

"_I'll take that as a no…" _Los thought, rising to his feet and walking down the passage.

"Stop right there!" came one of the voices. "Come any closer and we'll shoot!"

"I beg to differ," the human said, coming within sight of the gnomes. "Not only have you failed to hit me so far, but you're both too trigger happy for your own good to threaten people." He came within sight of the two gnomes, breaking out into a smile.

"What are you smiling at?" snarled the one with the psy staff, still pointing it in Los' direction. The other was busy shoving shrapnel into his blunderbuss as if his life depended on it. _"Can't really blame him I guess," _Los thought before turning to face the psy staff, purple robed one.

"Nothing really. It's just…well, this is a rather unique experience," Los smiled, actually being genuine. "After all, sealing off Goma Range for 2,700 years doesn't really leave many chances for interaction.

"2,600 years actually," replied the head gnome, slightly lowering his staff. His features softened slightly. "And no, it doesn't."

"Root…you do realize that you're talking to a human here aren't you?" the blue robed gnome asked cautiously, bewilderment showing in his eyes. "You know, a member of the race that-…"

"That sent gnome civilization crashing down at the end of the Third Age," Los interrupted, his smile now due to amusement at the perplexion showing on both gnomes' features.

"You…know of our history?" the one apparently named Root asked, lowering his psy staff. Things were moving too quickly for him, or too slowly for that matter. He'd expected at least one corpse on their hands by now.

Los shrugged. "A bit. I remember how it was an invasion of the Kingdom of Vault in 3A- 2001 that ruined your civilization, slaughtering Queen E'tara and most of your population with her, thus ending your royal line and the lives of many others." His features softened. "Alchemy was a curse upon my kind. But that still doesn't excuse what we did."

"_Of course, it would never have happened at all if that blonde bitch hadn't led her merry gang through the mountains…"_

"No, it doesn't…" said Root slowly. He gazed up at the man in front of him. "Ever since that dark day, we gnomes have been a scattered people, having to deal with infestations of vermin, keeping to the upper kingdom and letting them take the bottom..." He sighed. "Hardly an ideal life. Still, we've pulled through."

An uneasy silence descended upon the three humanoids gathered, man and gnome for once not at each other's throats. It was to be expected in a sense, considering that alchemy had been sealed long ago, preventing humanity from destroying itself in conflict driven by greed and lust for power. Yet even so, that didn't quite explain why Root was so forgiving. Perhaps it was part of the man's charm, knowing that he didn't stand a chance against two armed gnomes. After all, a blunderbuss that had lasted since the day of the Vault invasion and one of the few remaining psy staffs in gnomish civilization certainly presented a formidable defense…

"How do you know so much about us?" Root asked eventually. "From what I understood, human civilization is a mere shadow of what it once was. How were you-…"

"I have my ways," Los interrupted. "I've heard stories, some of them factual, some of them mere legend." He glanced around. "Still, factual or not, nothing of what I've read accounts for the light show you have here." He turned back to face them. "For a shattered civilization, you certainly have a lot of torches, especially since-…"

"We didn't light them."

Los glanced down at the blunderbuss armed gnome, wondering how he'd managed to retrieve such a weapon, considering that the secrets of blackpowder based weaponry having somewhat fortunately been lost long ago. It had probably retained from a corpse of one of the Vault soldiers, passed down through the generations. However, such questions were put on the backburner.

"You didn't light them?" Los asked slowly, his first assumption melting away. "You mean a vermin did it?"

"I doubt it," Root murmured. "The torches haven't been lit in millennia, given how darkness allows us to slip by unnoticed from vermin and…" He trailed off, remaining silent for a few seconds. "Well, from other things. Regardless, they suddenly flickered on about two weeks ago."

"_Two weeks ago?" _Los wondered. _"That would roughly coincide with the breaking of alchemy's seal. Yet what could have done such a thing?"_

"**I'm wondering the same thing myself."**

Three pairs of eyes glanced around in surprise, two of the three in fear also. "No…it can't be…" Root whispered.

"Hmm?" Los asked. "What's the problem? Did one of your voices break or something?"

"**Do not mistake the master for the servant you pathetic worm!"**

Los spun around again, fear beginning to creep into his soul. "Who…who's there?"

Unearthly laughter echoed throughout the passageway. **"Oh I think you know. Haven't the traitors informed you as to my existence? Haven't your precious scrolls enlightened you as to the nastier aspects of your species? Regicide is a common trait in human history after all."**

Los remained quiet, slowly drawing out his pistol. This was for two reasons. The first was that…well, _something_ was in their midst. Female by the sound of the voice, and a powerful one at that, but certainly not natural.

The second was that, one by one, the light of the torches was being snuffed out, darkness slowly creeping up the passageways.

"**The living cling to light, do they not?" **the voice sneered. **"Even with my brethren living in darkness, they have always yearned for it. After all, Goma Range used to be a place of beauty, a place where the living enjoyed fulfilling lives."**

"Root…I think that we should get out of here…" whimpered Tinker.

"It's a bit late for that don't you think?" Root murmured, clutching his staff like a lifeline. Unlike Tinker, he could see exactly what was coming, what was inevitable…the snuffing out of the flames was mere herald.

"**My subject is correct," **the voice gloated. **"You cannot avoid death any more than your own shadow. I would know…"**

"You seem to know a lot of things?" said Los, trying to sound braver than he felt. "Care to explain how?"

"**I do not grant the demands of creation's filth!" **the voice thundered. **"Or gnomes who forget where their loyalties lie."**

"What?" Root asked. "But we haven't done anything wrong, why would you-…"

"**You have associated the enemy of our people. Such a crime warrants the punishment that only your queen can administer."**

"Like the rest of your so-called punishments over the millennia?" Root snarled.

"**Of course. Have you forgotten our history? Did you not view the handiwork of a Venus adept a few hours ago, the landslide being testament to the destruction that comes hand in hand with man?"**

"_Venus adept? Landslide" _Los wondered. His forehead creased. _"So it was Saturos's band that was responsible for it…" _He shook the thoughts away. He had far more pressing issues to deal with, considering that it was at this point that all of the torches had been snuffed out.

"Who the hell are you?" Los snarled, gazing around in the darkness.

"**I?" **the voice asked, this time with a discernable source. **"I am the monument to all your sins, a tribute to the darker recesses of your being, a reminder that death is not necessary the end of all things."**

Three pairs of eyes turned to the source. Bands of sweat glistened on each forehead at the figure before them, not to mention the various skeletal figures behind her, some human some gnome, all having risen from their earthly slumber, all with a hatred of all life.

"This is impossible," Los whispered, seeing that the figures were closing in from both sides.

"**Not impossible. Inevitable. Just as inevitable as the fading of the light that the fire spirit brought two weeks ago." **The ethereal being laughed. **"Such is the cruelty of existence. All things fade in time. It's just a question of when."**

"But this makes no sense!" Los exclaimed. "You died when Vault's soldiers invaded, your body hacked into ribbons."

The ghost of the past smiled. **"Hell had no vacancies I'm afraid." **The smile faded. **"Unlike you three however…"**

Neither man nor gnome somehow doubted that. After all, when presented with the manifestation of your nightmares, a being that you believed was just a myth, acceptance, when it finally arrived, worked swiftly.

Or maybe it was just that the ghost of E'tara, deceased queen of the gnomes and their last monarch, the one who haunted the darkest recesses of Goma Range and dispensed 'justice,' had that effect on people...

* * *

**A/N**

_I was beginning to wonder if this would be updated myself. That's what comes from school stuff, pondering at least three other possible chapter titles, raking through developed lore and selecting what to include and what not to and how to work it into readable narrative and prevent the temptation to simply copy the King of the Dead scene from RotK. Hopefully I pulled it off, although there were some references to Halo 2 and Blade Runner in this chapter. Go figure._

_I did say that this chapter was going to give me problems didn't I?_

_Anyway, as for the stuff that was featured…_

_-I think it's safe to assume that if Goma Cave was ever inhabited in the game, its inhabitants had long since gone. So why were there lit torches in the game?_

_-3A-2001 is an example of a dating system I developed awhile ago. Logically, saying that "x occurred in the y year of the z age" can get a bit clunky. As such, I developed a system that makes easier reading and writing. You can probably tell what it means without my explanation but just in case;_

_First Digit: Corresponds to age number._

_A: Age_

_0000: The actual year of the age. At least, there will be at least two digits for a date (e.g. 01 is the lowest)._

_So as such, Broken Seal, taking place in the year 3000 of the Fourth Age, would be written as 4A-3000_

**Issue Responses**

_Another decision I made awhile ago was to include " issue responses"-kinda like review responses within a fic, although answering questions that others may be wondering about. I'll continue to send review replies via the PM system, but at the start/end of each chapter (varies depending on response length and/or chapter ending, I'll answer questions that take on a sort of' universal meaning.'_

_Interestingly enough, there isn't that many. Maybe these author notes are paying off._

_-This is probably obvious, but it was Los by Felix's house, not Felix himself._

_-Iblis's cape is/was not actually drenched in blood, it was simply dyed that color._

_-I understand that some fics which deal with Jenna losing her family have her living with her grandparents or something and for all I know, this may be true. I never really explored Vale that much in the initial stages of the game and have never done so since-the early stages of GS1 progress rather slowly after all. Still, that doesn't exclude the possibility that Jenna's grandparents were lurking around somewhere._

_Still, even if they do exist, it's a change that I'd like to keep. The idea of Jenna losing her whole family (seemingly) rather than just her immediate family is more appealing to me. No, I don't really imagine Jenna as a Mary Sue, but it just seems more…intense or something. The inclusion of other relatives would water down the feelings of loss and such and would reduce the basis of hatred she had/has towards Felix._

_So yeah. Jenna, for all she knew, lost her entire family on the night of the storm in this fic. _

_-Many of the early chapters were written using Microsoft WordPad rather than Word, the former lacking a spell-check. As such, my lack of spelling ability shows in those early chapters. Apologies for any grammar nuts out there._

_-Actually my exclusion of the Wise One casting psynergy on the Mars Star was an error on my part. Still, like Jenna's family, it's an error I intend to keep. Let's face it, if the Wise One did visibly cast psynergy on the Mars Star, wouldn't Isaac wonder why?_

_-I probably go a bit overboard with Garet at times. There's a fine line between simplicity and stupidity after all._

_-I think it's reasonable to assume that Felix had training over the three years that he was in Prox, both in psynergy and martial prowess. I've certainly tried to convey it, showing him as a whiny bookworm in flashbacks and much 'tougher' and perhaps cold hearted in the present. _

_As such, Felix is actually more powerful than Isaac, Garet or Jenna at this stage, his training having been more intense. I've tried to show this with his personality also-although he has some moral qualms over certain issues, I've tried to convey him as a bit of an amoral bastard at times, Saturos and Menardi having rubbed off on him. Exactly how this develops…well, time will tell._

_-I think it's become obvious by now, but I'll declare it once and for all that I'm NOT making declarations on any pairings. Hints is all I'm giving, and cryptic ones at that. The only thing I can guarantee is that unless I have a switch of sexual preferences, there won't be slash, yaoi, yuri, etc. of any kind._

_Anyway, that's it. I may have missed some points but hopefully not too many._

_As for future updates…well, don't expect too many, what with academic stuff, namely the end of secondary school looming down on me. However, I'll still be working on this fic in one way or another, if only in drafting (I'm currently up to Xian). Unless my computer stuffs up, I can promise that I'm working on this unless a tag says otherwise._

_Yarg!_


End file.
